Whisk: a food blog: French dessert

Showing posts with label French dessert. Show all posts

Monday, July 4, 2011

Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte)

The Charlotte Malakoff is a dessert steeped in history, celebrating the French capture of a Ukrainian town in 1855. While war is never worth celebrating, a rich dessert like this certainly is! With its fortress of ladyfingers encasing a kirsch-infused almond cream, topped with Chantilly cream and fresh berries, this French classic is both indulgent and celebratory.

Creating this dessert is an adventure that doesn’t demand perfection, as I quickly discovered. Despite my own deviations from the recipe, the result was delightful—a reminder that even kitchen mishaps can lead to sweet victories.

My first defeat was with the ladyfingers. Instead of saving the confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on the piped fingers, I whisked both sugars with the egg whites and then folded in the yolks and flour. But I claim this as a victory since the ladyfingers survived and actually tasted yummy.

Without trouble, I whisked all the syrup ingredients together.

But the almond cream took a beating. Everything was going well at first. I softened the butter in the stand mixer and added the confectioner’s sugar, ground almonds and kirsch. But at this point, I forgot that I needed another ¾ cup of cream that was to be whisked to whipped cream status. Instead I proceeded to make the Chantilly cream and folded that in. So my almond cream had some extra vanilla and sweetness.

I admitted utter defeat when attempting to assemble this Malakoff. I dipped the cut ends of my less-than-perfect ladyfingers into the syrup and formed my weak fortress. I piped in my rogue almond cream (using a Ziploc bag and a fancy tip) and put it in the fridge where I hoped some magic would turn my unsightly Charlotte into a princess.

I surrender.

Recipe: Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Ladyfingers

3 eggs, separated

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ cup cake flour, sifted

6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Sugar Syrup

2 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons kirsch

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Almond Cream

¼ pound unsalted butter

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

4 oz finely ground almonds (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons kirsch

¾ cup heavy cream

Chantilly Cream

¾ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

Instructions:

1. Make the Ladyfingers:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding granulated sugar.
Fold in the egg yolks and sifted cake flour gently.
Pipe the batter into ladyfinger shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar and bake for 10–12 minutes or until golden.

2. Prepare the Sugar Syrup:

Whisk together water, kirsch, and confectioner’s sugar until dissolved.

3. Make the Almond Cream:

Cream butter with confectioner’s sugar in a mixer.
Add ground almonds and kirsch, mixing until smooth.
Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the almond mixture.

4. Prepare the Chantilly Cream;

Whisk heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until soft peaks form.

5. Assemble the Charlotte:

Dip the cut ends of the ladyfingers in the sugar syrup.
Line a mold with the ladyfingers to form a “fortress.”
Pipe in the almond cream, smoothing the surface.
Chill for at least 2 hours.
Top with Chantilly cream and fresh berries before serving.

You can find the recipe for Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Tasting Notes
A bit boozy, so next time I would half the kirsch or leave it out. This dessert is definitely best with fresh berries to cut the richness, but the ladyfingers are charming.

More Charlottes
• Whisk: Charlotte aux Pommes, Crème Anglaise au Rhum (Apple Charlotte with Rum-Flavored Crème Anglaise)
• Whisk: Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)
• Tartelette: Strawberry Tartelette
• Bake or Break: Chocolate Charlotte
• Cannelle et Vanille: Summer Berry Charlotte

Links
Prepared Pantry: Ten Ways to Make Flavored Whipped Cream

Next Time
Crème pâtissière (Pastry cream) in Crêpes Soufflées au Cointreau (Souffléed Crêpes Flamed with Cointreau) page 182

::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Pudding Diplomate, Crème Anglaise (Ladyfinger Pudding with Crème Anglaise)

Books have been written about the humble Bread Pudding. In fact, I have one called New-Fangled, Old Fashioned Bread Puddings (affiliate link).

What was originally a simple English Bread Pudding can now be found at almost every bakery in Paris. Le Cordon Bleu, however, takes Bread Pudding to a whole new level – using ladyfingers in place of bread and adding candied fruits and raisins to take it beyond the ordinary. Not to mention the Kirsch. The humble bread pudding is transformed into a posh and classy dessert!

Biscuit de Savoie (Sponge Cake): A French Classic for Any Occasion

Light, airy, and subtly sweet, Biscuit de Savoie is a traditional French sponge cake that melts in your mouth with every bite. With a hint of vanilla, this versatile dessert pairs beautifully with chocolate, fruit coulis, or even a classic crème anglaise. It’s also delightful on its own as a mid-morning treat or a satisfying dessert.

This Biscuit de Savoie cake was one of my favorite recipes at Le Cordon Bleu. In fact, after the demo, I helped polish off many hunks (pulling off pieces with my fingers since there were no knives, only dull, plastic spoons). I dipped my pieces into the fresh, sweet crème anglaise the chef had made. I'd made this cake once before, and it was popular then too.

When you take a bite, it makes a squishy, bubbly sound. With its hint of vanilla, it adapts well to dipping into chocolate or fruit coulis, but stands on its own as a mid-morning grumble-stopper.

Whisk Wednesdays—Beignets aux Pommes, Sauce Abricot (Apple Fritters with Apricot Sauce)

This recipe completes my goal of working through the Basic Cuisine curriculum on my own, in my own kitchen. I started my blog as a way of documenting my progress working through this Le Cordon Bleu curriculum, not knowing that I'd actually be attending 20 months later!

Whisk Wednesdays—Pets de Nonnes (Choux Pastry Fritters with Apricot Sauce)

This recipe, literally translated, means "nun's farts"! Choux pastry is deep-fried and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar much like a doughnut. The story is that a nun accidentally dropped a ball of choux paste into a kettle of hot oil. Instead of throwing it out, the nun watched the choux paste bubble and brown and upon tasting it named it Pets de Nonnes.

Crème Caramel

There's a buzz in the food world around Julie and Julia, the movie coming to theatres Friday, August 7. I can't wait to see it. And thanks to Leanne Cusack from CTV News at Noon, I'll get to see a sneak preview.

I met Leanne today to talk about my link to this movie as a featured blog on Sony Picture's official trailer website and to demonstrate a French recipe from the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum that I'm working through. Here is a link to my segment on CTV News at Noon.

I was also on "A Morning Ottawa" with Angie Poirier this morning where I demonstrated both Leek and Potato soup (which will be another post another day) and Crème Caramel.

Live TV is a bit of an adrenaline rush. All of a sudden, the lights are on, the camera is pointed towards you, a host is asking questions about you and your work, you're working through the key points of a recipe, and in no time at all the four to six minutes are up. I'm just thankful for the professionalism of all the hosts who make being on air so much easier.

You can read all about Crème Caramel from this post that I did last year.

Recipe: Crème Caramel

from a New York Times article by Julia Child called "Eat, Memory: Sacré Cordon Bleu!"

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the Caramel:

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water

For the Custard:

2/3 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a kettle of water to boil.

To make the caramel, combine the sugar and water in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil. When the mixture starts to color, swirl the pan to ensure an even color. When it is deep amber, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it into the molds and swirl to coat the bottom of each mold. Let cool.

To make the crème anglaise, heat milk and vanilla extract in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove immediately from the heat and let steep for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in a bit of the hot milk mixture to temper or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture. Pour this mixture into the caramel-lined molds.

Set the molds in a baking dish lined with a paper towel. Fill the baking dish with boiling water so that it comes about two-thirds up the sides of the mold. Bake until the custard sets and doesn't jiggle (and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean), about 40-50 minutes. Let the custard cool in the baking dish. Remove from the pan to finish cooling. Chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.

To unmold the custard, run a thin knife around the edge of the mold and invert it on a serving platter.

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tuesdays with Dorie—Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée, which means "burnt cream", used to be the dessert I'd look for on menus when eating out. A favorite restaurant of ours in Ottawa is West End Station Bistro. We used to go there so often, they knew us. Once, when the babysitter called to say we had to get home right away [baby was hungry and bottle wasn't working], the restaurant let us take home two crème brûlées to broil in our oven. The next day, we brought back the empty ramekins. Now that's customer service!

Since then, I've learned how to make this dessert and own a crème brûlée torch. It's been a fun dessert to bring to dinner parties along with the torch and let everyone caramelize their own sugar top.

It's such a versatile dessert that can be flavored any number of ways. I used Chai tea bags steeped in the milk and cream mixture for one batch. I also added a tablespoon of dulce de leche to the milk/cream mixture in another batch. But my favorite version is the original vanilla one.

Playing Around

The recipe I usually use for crème brûlée bakes in a water bath, the oven is set to 300˚F, and the custard bakes for 25-30 minutes. This version has no water bath, the oven is set at a lower temperature (200˚F), and the custard bakes for 1 hour (or more!). So, since it was so jiggly even after extra time in the oven, I popped it into the freezer after it cooled to room temperature. It tasted refreshing this way. In fact, the ingredients for crème brûlée are the same as crème anglaise which is the base for ice cream.

Recipe: Crème Brûlée

You can find the recipe for Crème Brûlée in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link) by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger!

Tasting Notes
This version of crème brûlée was lighter and less dense than the recipes I've used before. It didn't set during baking as much as I expected. However, the taste was amazing. The best part of this dessert is cracking into it with a spoon and getting a mouthful of crunchy sugar with some creamy custard with it. And freezing this version worked well. For the frozen version, a piece of crackly sugar gave it the crunch it needed.

"Amelie has no boyfriend. She tried once or twice, but the results were a letdown. Instead, she cultivates a taste for small pleasures: dipping her hand into sacks of grain, cracking crème brûlée with a teaspoon and skipping stones at St. Martin's Canal."
— From the script for the movie Amelie

Recipe for Next Week (October 7)
Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake on pages 264 and 265 chosen by Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy.

Another Award

Nikki from Nik Snacks gave me the "You make my day award". Well, she made my day with this one. Nikki actually went to Le Cordon Bleu school, has her own blog, teaches cooking classes, is an Editorial Assistant at a local newspaper, and runs her own catering business! Now that's busy.

I now get to pass on the blog love to some of my favorite blogs:

• Kim from Scrumptious Photography has amazing photos. It's always a treat to see what she's been up to.

• Mari from Mevrouw Cupcake has inspiring takes on everything she makes and her posts are fun to read.

• Tommi from Brown Interior always makes me smile when I read her posts and her recipes are very creative and inspiring.

• Steph from Obsessed with Baking has beautiful photos of all the treats she makes in the kitchen.

• Lynne from Café Lynnylu shows off her talent with a camera with every post!

Thanks so much, Nikki. It means a lot to get an award from you!

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Sunday, March 23, 2008

Soufflé glacé à l'orange (Deep-frozen orange soufflé)

Frozen Orange Soufflé Recipe | Soufflé Glacé à l'Orange

Frozen soufflé is not a true soufflé but a frozen mousse. It is a custard mixture usually thickened with gelatin and lightened with egg whites or whipped cream or both. Its presentation looks like a soufflé because the mixture is frozen in a soufflé dish that’s been wrapped with a tall paper collar so that it looks like a soufflé has risen out of the dish like a baked one.

I tasted an amazing frozen soufflé by one of the best chefs in our city, Stephen Vardy from Beckta (however, he’s no longer at this restaurant). It was a passion fruit soufflé and his recipe didn’t include gelatin or egg yolks so it was a bit simpler than the one below: Italian Meringue + passion fruit purée and a touch of lime + whipped cream. He served it in an espresso cup with raspberry gelato. Yum!

Italian Meringue
Meringue is simply sweetened egg whites. It’s more stable than meringue made with egg whites and spoonfuls of sugar. It is believed that an Italian baker named Gasparini from the Swiss town of Meiringen created meringue. There is more interesting history in this article.

When making meringue, superfine sugar is recommended since it dissolves faster, but I used regular sugar since I was making a sugar syrup. The heat of the syrup cooks the eggs and allows it to hold its shape much better than an uncooked meringue.

Use room temperature eggs to increase the meringue’s volume. To get stiff egg whites, the bowl must be free from grease and the whites must be free from any yolk. Stiff peaks mean the whites are glossy and very stiff, and the peaks are stiff enough to hold their shape.

Whipped Cream
Cream with 30%-36% fat can be turned into whipped cream by whisking it with air. Prepare whipped cream just before using since it won't stay whipped for very long. The cream should be cold when whipped to make sure it doesn’t collapse. Don’t overwhip the cream or it will curdle and separate. It should double in volume and form soft peaks.

Recipe for Soufflé glacé à l'orange

2¼ teaspoons (1 7-ounce package) granulated gelatin
4-6 tablespoons water
½ cup water
1 cup sugar, divided
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, chilled

You can find the recipe in from Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques (affiliate link)..

Tasting Notes
This is a light dessert after a heavy meal. It can be served frozen or at room temperature like a mousse. There are lots of opportunities to play around with this recipe with flavorings and ingredients. I think orange is mild, but a dash or two of Grand Marnier would spark this up a bit.
. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $252.69 + $5.01 = $257.70

Butter used so far: 4 pounds, 27.5 tablespoons

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Crème renversée au caramel (Reversed caramel cream)

Crème Renversée au Caramel: The Perfect Caramel Custard Dessert

Crème renversée au caramel is known more commonly as Crème Caramel, which is a custard and caramel dessert. Renversée means inverted or upside down and refers to the fact that this dessert is unmolded for service and the caramel from the bottom of the ramekin becomes the sauce for the custard. You can also make a Crème renversée without the caramel, but why miss out on this deep flavor that complements the custard so well?

Crème Caramel used to be THE dessert I would look for when I was out for dinner. If it wasn’t on the menu, I was disappointed. That was, until I learned how easy it is to make. From four simple ingredients, comes this elegant, delicious and heavenly dessert. Also, after doing the math I found out that it costs me 32 cents for each ramekin (I made 7) to make this dessert and the restaurants charge between $7-9! That’s motivation to learn how to make it!

Crème Caramel, according to Wikipedia, may originate in the Southern regions of France, but it’s also a popular dessert in many other countries such as Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Philippines to name a few. It’s often known as a flan. However, according to Cook's Illustrated, a flan contains more eggs and yolks, and either cream, evaporated milk, or condensed milk.

The Custard
The custard part of this dessert is part of les entrements, in French, meaning desserts made of milk, eggs, and sugar that are served cold. Milk (I used whole milk, but you can mix milk with light cream) and whole eggs are thickened with heat in the oven. Thickening occurs at a temperature between 180°-190°F. The whites of the eggs help set the custard, and the yolks make it creamy. A quiche is also a custard, but once you add sugar and vanilla, the custard becomes a sweet and yummy dessert.

When you’re blending the custard, you shouldn’t whisk in too much air or else there will be a lot of foam on top of the custard mixture. Let the custard mixture sit for a bit for the foam to subside. You can also skim off the foam.

All sorts of flavorings can be added to the custard such as chai tea, cinnamon, coconut, ginger, lavender, lemon, maple syrup, mocha, orange, or strawberry, but traditionally just vanilla is added. If you add a flavoring that is acidic (such as orange juice), the custard with curdle.

Custards, if overcooked, taste “eggy”. It should taste rich and creamy, but not too heavy. Often, Crème Caramel is made in individual ramekins, but you can make a large version in a pie pan or soufflé dish.

The Caramel

The caramel part of this dessert can be tricky. Even though caramel contains two ingredients: water and sugar (and sometimes just sugar is used), too many things can go wrong. It has been called the most dangerous thing to make in the kitchen, according to food blogger at Eggbeater (and quickly becoming one of my favorite food blogs) writing at this link.

When making caramel, I have always put the sugar and water in the pan and left it alone to do its thing. I don’t cover the pan or brush down the sides or stir the sugar and water mixture, and I’ve never had problems. Once it starts to turn color, though, it requires babysitting since it can go from a nice light golden color to a burnt state faster than bad news. When you start to see some color, start swirling the pan to distribute the color. Also know the color of your pan is dark, making the caramel look darker than it is. Be bold, and hang on or test some on a white ramekin to see the color. I’ve seen too many Crème Caramel desserts that look pale!

If you carefully add water (about 4-5 tablespoons) at the end of the caramelization, the cooking will stop and the caramel won’t harden as quickly making it easier to pour into the ramekins. You must watch though, because the water will sputter and you could easily burn yourself. David Lebovitz, another great food blogger, suggests using a mesh strainer over the pan while pouring in the water.

Let the caramel cool and harden before adding the custard. Again, I learned this the hard way as I poured in the custard and saw the caramel start to mix with the custard. Oh well, another one for the “chef”.

Baking
Crème Caramel is baked in a water bath (bain marie) to prevent the outside of the custard from cooking or drying out before the interior is cooked. The water bath maintains a low, even, moist heat. The water in the water bath must not boil or the custard will be grainy. But it must not be too cool or the custard will take too long to cook. It should have small bubbles.

When you put the ramekins in a pan that will hold a water bath, make sure the pan you use doesn’t have holes! I learned this the hard way by using an aluminum foil pan that I’d used for a different dish that had a small hole in one corner. Soon I had a puddle of water gathering in the oven.

I also put a dish cloth in the bottom of the pan so that the ramekins don’t slip around. Also, if you’re baking Crème Caramel in individual ramekins, you can shorten the baking time.

After baking, it should be a little jiggly in the center, since it will continue to cook after it is out of the oven. When unmolding, you can heat the ramekins on a burner on the stove (just for a bit) to loosen the caramel to make sure it won’t stick. Use a knife to loosen the edges before unmolding too.

Watch a pro

Here are a couple of links to videos showing how to make Crème Caramel and how to caramelize sugar:
• Link to video on making Crème Caramel
• Link to video on caramelizing sugar

Recipe: Crème renversée au caramel (Reversed caramel cream)

• Link to recipe for (and interesting story about) Julia Child’s Crème Renversée au Caramel

Tasting Notes:

This is still one of my favorite desserts. The only problem with knowing how to make it at home is that there's a temptation to make it too often! So much for the diet. Definitely another keeper in the favorite file.

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $191.66 + $2.26 = $193.92

Butter used so far: 4 pounds, 19.5 tablespoons

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Saturday, March 1, 2008

Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)

Charlotte aux Pommes: A Classic French Apple Dessert

Charlotte aux pommes is an 18th century classic recipe named after the German wife of King George III of England who was said to have a special affinity for apple growers. According to this link, charlottes were “invented” in England. It’s a molded dessert, traditionally baked in a mold called a “charlotte mold” (affiliate link) that has two handles and slightly flared sides. You could use individual ramekins as well.

Charlotte aux pommes consists of a layer of toasty bread around the outside with apple compote in the center. It sounds like a blend of apple pie and bread pudding.

Use apples that are firm, such as Golden Delicious, to help hold the charlotte’s shape. This tip comes from Julia Child who made this charlotte on live television in the 1960s on her series called "The French Chef" and watched it collapse after unmolding it.

"One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot." ~Julia Child

Charlotte aux pommes is typically served with crème anglaise, which is also a classic dessert sauce dating back to the 19th century.

Crème anglaise contains sugar, yolks, milk, and vanilla, but it can be flavored with all sorts of delicious things such as cardamom, rum, chocolate, ginger, chamomile, brandy, Grand Marnier, espresso, or even stout! Crème anglaise is a “stirred” custard as opposed to a “baked” custard. It must be stirred constantly so that it doesn’t curdle at the bottom of the pan or overcook. Because it’s stirred, it doesn’t thicken as much as a crème brulée or crème caramel which thickens in the oven.

It’s a rich, smooth sauce that can be served warm or cold. It is also common as a base for making ice creams.

Calvados Calvadosis an apple brandy from the Basse-Normandie region of France.

map from Wikipedia
Given that I only needed about 5 tablespoons, I went to the local liquor store looking for the smallest bottle I could find. For $45, I could have a 750 mL sized bottle! And that was the lowest priced bottle I could find. One that had been aged for 30 years in French oak casks would set me back almost $300. So, I settled for dark rum instead.

Recipe: Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)

Apple Compote
3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
¼ cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

9-10 slices firm white bread
½-¾ cup clarified butter

You can find the recipe in from Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Here's a useful video of Julia Child plating this dessert.

Recipe: Crème Anglaise

1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons dark rum

You can find the recipe in from Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Here's another useful video on making Crème anglaise.

Recipe: Apricot Glaze

⅓ cup Apricot Jam
1-2 tablespoons water
½ tablespoon dark rum

You can find the recipe in from Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Clarified butter

Clarified butter is also known as “drawn butter”. Here are some pros and cons of using clarified butter:

It keeps longer because it doesn’t have the milk in it to go rancid.
It has a higher smoke point.
It has a buttery taste that oils don’t have.
It doesn’t have the rich flavor of regular unsalted butter.

Melt the unsalted butter slowly in a saucepan over low heat. Don’t stir. Let it sit so that the milk solids and water separate from the butter fat. Skim the foam from the surface. Remove from the heat and let stand a few minutes until the milk solids settle to the bottom. Carefully pour the clear yellow liquid (the clarified butter) into a container, leaving the milk solids in the bottom of the saucepan; discard the solids.

A stick (8 tablespoons) of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter. For the apple compote, you will need about 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter.

Variations:

I’d like to try experimenting with this recipe using pears or different bread, such as Brioche. Some cinnamon, lemon peel, and nutmeg would be nice. Maybe some raisins and a different flavored crème anglaise. I’d also like to try serving this in individual ramekins.

Tasting Notes:

“It’s better than apple pie” was what my 8 year old said! Now that’s a compliment. The crunchiness of the toasted bread, coupled with the bite of the apple compote and the smooth, richness of the crème anglaise made this dessert absolutely delicious. Another keeper!

Since I don't have a Charlotte mold, I used a 4-cup soufflé dish (affiliate link) and a 4-cup fluted pudding mold. Both worked fine, and the fluted one even looked scalloped after baking. However, my structure of bread didn’t hold up very well. Next time, actually dipping the bread in the clarified butter and using more bread for the walls would be better. As you can see from the picture, the Charlotte needs more reinforcement!

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $180.66 + $7.94 (Charlotte) + $2.07 (Crème anglaise) + $.99 (Apricot glaze) = $191.66

Butter used so far: 4 pounds, 19.5 tablespoons

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Monday, July 4, 2011

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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Friday, December 4, 2009

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Recipe: Crème Brûlée

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Recipe for Soufflé glacé à l'orange

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Recipe: Crème renversée au caramel (Reversed caramel cream)

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Recipe: Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)

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