Mascarpon

Macaron + mascarpone tiramisu-like filling

About a month ago I won Jill Colonna’s book “Mad about Macarons” along with delicious French chocolates and more goodies in a giveaway by Joshua from Just Eat. I started on my first ever batch of macarons as soon as I’ve received the book. These are my second batch.

Source

Macaron from Jill Colonna’s “Mad about Macarons”, mascarpone filling based on the homemade mascarpone cheese recipe on Passionate about Baking



Taste 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty 5 (out of 5)



Ingredients

For macarons

see Joshua’s post (or “Mad about Macarons”)

For mascarpone

- 2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream (1640 cal)

- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (10 cal)

For tiramisu flavor

- 2 tbsp boiling water

- 2 tsp instant coffee

- 3 tbsp sugar (135 cal)

- 1 tsp orange extract

- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (10 cal)

Total filling for 20 medium sized macarons + some extra, 1795 cal, 90 cal / macaron filling



Instructions

For macarons

See Joshua’s post or “Mad about Macarons”

For mascarpone cheese

1. In a double broiler heat the cream until it reaches 180F. Pour in the fresh lemon juice and continue stirring for several minutes.

2. When the cream starts to thicken slightly remove it from heat, cover and leave at room temperature until it cools down. Refrigerate overnight.

3. By now the cream will be significantly thicker. Pour the cream into a strainer lined with a several layers of cheesecloth to let the whey drain. Refrigerate for 24 hours. The amount in this recipe will yield a little over a cup / 250 g of mascarpone.

For tiramisu flavor

4. Add instant coffee, sugar and orange extract to the boiling water and stir until dissolved.

5. Combine mascarpone, coffee and cocoa powder. Mix well with a fork until uniform. Adjust sugar to taste, if needed.

6. Assemble the macarons and let the sit in the fridge for 24 hours before serving to allow the filling to penetrate into the hard shell.

7. Eat whatever is left of the filling with a spoon or serve with fresh fruit :-)



Afterthoughts

- First of all, thank you so much to Joshua (Just Eat), Jill (Mad about Macarons) and Deeba (Passionate about Baking)!

- Regarding macarons, I am still in the very beginning of my learning curve, that’s why I am sending you to Joshua’s post :-). What I’ve learned so far from my mistakes, from Jill’s book and from her kind replies to my questions on her blog:

1. If you over mix your batter the macaroons will be too liquid and misshapen, if you don’t mix enough the macarons will be too stiff and will have a peak on top, like little turbans.

2. You must be patient and let your macarons sit on a tray for quite some time (in my case an hour) to make sure the tops are hard. Otherwise you won’t get those pretty feet and the tops might crack.

3. You need to know your over settings. Not all ovens are made equal, so it takes a lot of experimenting no matter how good the recipe. I’m still working on this part..

- Regarding mascarpone, it’s absolutely divine! I’ve tried several recipes before and it turned out sour and dry. Deeba’s recipe gives you a wonderfully light and fresh mascarpone. Next time I’ll make more and make the full tiramisu – yum!

Maple Mousse in Walnut Cups

The edible containers challenge from the Daring Kitchen.

Taste: 4 (out of 5)



Difficulty: 4 (out of 5)



Source: Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz



Ingredients

For nut bowls

- 1 1/2 cups crushed walnuts , or other nuts of your choice (1200 cal)

- 1 egg, beaten, at room temperature (70 cal)

- 2 tbsp sugar (90 cal)

For maple mousse

- 1 cup / 240 ml pure maple syrup (not maple-flavored syrup) (800 cal)

- 4 large egg yolks (220 cal)

- 1 package / 7g/1 tbsp unflavored gelatin

- 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml whipping cream (35% fat content) (1230 cal)

For chocolate decoration

- 1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces (300 cal)

Total: 6 cups, 3910 cal, 650 cal / cup



Instructions

For nut bowls

1. Use a food processor or a zip-lock back with a rolling pin to crush your nuts if whole, use about 1 cup of whole nuts to get 3/4 cups crushed. You want it somewhat coarse.

2. In a bowl mix the nuts with the beaten egg and the sugar.

3. Grease well 6 small 1/2 cup capacity muffin molds (I used silicon). Spread ¼ cup of the mixture in the bowl, all the way up to the sides making sure you have a thin and even clean layer all around.

4. Bake at 350F/175C. until the nuts are golden and fragrant (about 15 minutes). Let cool completely before unmolding.

For maple mousse

5. 1. Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.

6. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).

7. Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.

8. Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatin. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatin has completely dissolved.

9. Whisk the gelatin/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.

10. Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.

11. Whip the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.

12. Remove from the fridge and divide equally among your edible containers.

For chocolate decoration

13. Melt chocolate (either in the microwave or over a double boiler). Fill a small piping bag with a narrow tip (size 2 or 3) or even a small plastic sandwich bag. If using a plastic bag, cut the tip. Line a tray with parchment paper and pipe out maple leaf shapes. Place the sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes until chocolate hardens. Place the maple leaf on top of the maple mousse. You can also decorate the nut cups with chocolate, but this has to be done before filling them with the mousse :-).



Afterthoughts

- Lovely dessert, thanks so much, Evelyne, for hosting this month’s challenge! I really enjoyed making this recipe!

- My favorite part was the nut cup – such nice texture, a perfect container for mousse or cheesecake! And you don’t need to add butter to it :-), it’s all held together by an egg…

- The mousse itself was a lot of fun to make, but a little too much maple for my taste. But my boyfriend absolutely loved it.



Blog-checking lines: The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

Bird's Milk Candy

Delicious, gentle, airy soufflé in dark chocolate.

Source Improvised



Taste 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty 4 (out of 5)



Ingredients

- 3 egg whites (45 cal)

- 50 g sugar (195 cal)

- 75 g butter at room temperature (540 cal)

- 100 g sweetened condensed milk (415 cal)

- 1 tsp vanilla essence (5 cal)

- 1 tsp lemon essence (5 cal)

- 10 g gelatin

- pinch of salt

- 100 g dark chocolate (605 cal)

Total 1810 cal, 18 servings, 100 cal / serving



Instructions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tbsp cold water and let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks. Slowly add sugar and continue whisking until firm peaks form.

3. In a separate bowl beat the butter with the condensed milk, the vanilla and the lemon essences until uniform and creamy.

4. Microwave gelatin for 15 seconds or until all the gelatin dissolves. Pour the gelatin into the butter mixture. Stir until combined.

5. Using a rubber spatula gently fold the butter mixture into the egg whites until uniform.

6. Pour the soufflé into a parchment lined 5’’ x 7’’sheet and refrigerate for several hours or overnight until sets. Flip the set soufflé onto a cutting board, cut into small rectangular shapes.

7. Temper the chocolate (see detailed instructions on tempering here), dip the soufflé rectangles in the chocolate and place on a silicon lined baking sheet to set. Refrigerate.



Afterthoughts

- Tastes really great! I had several other much less successful attempts before, but this time I think it’s a winner.

- Don’t skip the essences – if you don’t have the lemon one, add finely grated lemon zest. 

- And this recipe is going to be featured on YBR (Your Best Recipe) by Spicie Foodie, one of my favorite food blogs! Yey!

Chocolate Scone Balls

Scone, cheesecake and dark chocolate in one wonderful cute ball for only 100 calories!

Taste: 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty: 4 (out of 5)



Source: the cake ball idea inspired by The Food Junkie, scone cake adapted from About.com, cream cheese icing improvised



Ingredients

For scone cake (2565 cal)

- 2 eggs (140 cal)

- 1 cup sugar (775 cal)

- 1 cup heavy cream (820 cal)

- 1/4 cup light sour cream (60 cal)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract (10 cal)

- 3/4 tsp salt

- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (760 cal)

- 2 tsp baking powder

For cream cheese icing (1305 cal)

- 250 g / 1 package light cream cheese (665 cal)

- 1 cup light sour cream (240 cal)

- 1/2 cup sugar (390 cal)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange extract (10 cal)

- 1 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)

For chocolate coating

- 250 g / 1 bar dark chocolate (1200 cal)

Total: 5070 cal, 50 balls, 100 cal / ball



Instructions

For the scone cake

1. Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored; gradually beat in sugar; then add all the liquid ingredients. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Beat well. You will have a gooey, thick batter.

2. Grease and flour a 7’’x11’’ baking pan and spread the batter evenly. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3. Let the cake cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let rest on a cooling rack until completely cool.

4. In a large ball, crumble the cake with your fingers.

For the cream cheese icing

5. In a blender mix all the ingredients until incorporated and uniform.

For assembly

6. Add the icing to cake crumbs and mix well.

7. Roll mixture into small balls (about 1 inch in diameter). You can use a small cookie scoop to measure if you like. This recipe gives about 50 balls.

8. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cake balls on it. Chill the balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

9. Break the chocolate bar into small pieces (or use chocolate melts). Microwave the chocolate in 30 second segments, stirring after every segment, until all the chocolate is melted.

10. Using a fork, dip the chilled balls in melted chocolate, roll them around until coated, lift with the fork, let excess chocolate drip and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. When the chocolate on the ball is still warm, you can create some “artistic” effects with a fork, a toothpick or a brush.

11. Your chocolate will gradually harden from contact with the cold cake balls. You can either use small batches of chocolate, or simply re-melt the chocolate in microwave every time it stiffens.

12. When all the balls are coated and arranged on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes until the chocolate sets.



Afterthoughts

- YUM…. So moist and delicious, it tastes both like scones and like cheese cake, absolutely amazing with the dark chocolate.

- Crumbling the cake, rolling the balls and dipping in the chocolate can be a bit time consuming, but it can be a very fun “group” activity :-)

- The scone cake is a very tasty way to use up whipping cream that is about to expire.

Rose Petal Yogurt Mousse Chocolate Cups

Temper chocolate and make a light yogurt mousse for this delicious, elegant dessert – yes you can!

Source

The mousse adapted from eCurrey blog



Taste 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty 5 (out of 5)



Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups non-fat yogurt (180 cal)

- 2 tbsp rose petal jam (100 cal)

- Pinch of saffron

- 6 tbsp low fat milk (50 cal)

- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin

- 1 tbsp cold water

- 50 g bitter-sweet chocolate (300 cal)

- 12 blackberries to garnish (20 cal)

Total 6 (or 12, depending on the size), 550 cal, 90 (or 45) cal / serving



Instructions

1. Drain the yogurt. Line a medium sized sieve with a paper towel, place the sieve over a small bowl, scoop the yogurt into the paper towel, wrap the towel around the yogurt and place a heavy object (a can or a jam jar) on top of the towel. Leave the yogurt to drain for about an hour at room temperature. Unwrap the paper towel, you should have about 3/4 cup of a dense (Greek style-like) yogurt.

2. Prepare the gelatin. In a small bowl, take 1 tbsp of cold water, sprinkle 1 tsp of gelatin over it, stir a little and let sit until your chocolate cups are ready and the yogurt is drained.

3. Temper chocolate. Finely chop your chocolate. In a small microwave safe bowl heat 40 g of the chocolate in short intervals of 15-30 seconds (depending on your microwave power). After each segment stir the chocolate and measure the temperature with an instant read thermometer. When the temperature reaches 113F / 45C add the remaining chocolate and stir well until all the chocolate melts and you the mixture is smooth and uniform.

4. Prepare the chocolate cups. I used the Wilton Cordial Cups Candy Mold; this recipe makes about 12 of those. You can use small muffin tins or paper muffin cups instead, but they are probably bigger, and you will likely end up with 6 servings in this case. Use about 1/2 tsp of melted chocolate per candy mold, or 1 tsp per small muffin tin. Pour the chocolate into the mold and then using a brush or a small silicon spatula spread the chocolate over the sides of the mold up to the top. Refrigerate the mold for 5 to 10 minutes until the chocolate is set and firm. At this stage if your chocolate is tempered correctly, it should be easy to unmold the cups by holding the mold about 1 inch or less above the table, flipping and slightly tapping it. If using paper cups, once the chocolate is hard, simply peel the paper off.

5. Place the drained yogurt, saffron and rose petal jam in a blender and whisk it until mixed well. A small blender such as the Magic Bullet is perfect for it. The mixture will be lighter and fluffier than the original yogurt.

6. Heat the milk in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds and pour into the gelatin, stirring well, until there are no lumps left. Add a small amount of yogurt to the gelatin mixture, stir well, and then pour the resulting mixture back into the blender and whisk again. Now you have your rose petal yogurt mousse.

7. Pour the mousse into the cups and let set in refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes. At this stage you can add fruit or candy if you want to decorate the cups with them – the mousse should still be soft but not too liquid and the fruit should not sink. Refrigerate again until the mouse is completely set.



Afterthoughts

- Chocolate and yogurt might seem like a strange combination, but I found it pretty nice – you get a little bitterness from the chocolate, a little sour flavor from the yogurt and sweetness from the rose petal jam. Plus the saffron adds that eastern touch. Of course, other jams would work as well; I bet raspberry or mango would be delicious. And an additional advantage of yogurt (compared to whipping cream) is huge calorie savings :-)

- This recipe is quite time consuming with multiple stages, but if you enjoy trying out new things in the kitchen like I do, it’s just another experiment and adventure.

- Make sure that your molds are completely clean and dry. Chocolate should not come in contact with liquids or fats. Otherwise it will be difficult to unmold. Even if your mold is dry and grease free, unmolding the chocolate can be challenging. If you are having trouble with it, it might be because the walls of your cups are too thin or because your chocolate was not tempered well. But don’t worry and DON’T THROW THE CHOCOLATE! You can always collect the pieces and temper the chocolate again. And you can do it as many times as you like as long as your chocolate does not come in contact with water or grease and is not heated to temperatures over 130F / 55C.

- You don’t have to use the brush; you can also fill the mold with the melted chocolate and gently rotate the mold until the chocolate coats the sides of the mold. If you have excess chocolate, DON’T THROW IT! Pour it onto parchment paper, let it set, peel the parchment paper and keep the chocolate for the next time.

- You don’t need to add all the rose petal jam at once. You can start with half the amount, taste the mousse right before pouring it into the cups and add the remainder based on your sweetness preferences.