Blancmange with Candied Papaya

On March I prepared for a friend's blog this papaya candied recipe. This is another traditional candy from my home state in Brazil. As it is very sweet, it needs some suave accompaniment to balance the intense flavor. In Brazil we like to have it with Minas cheese, which is a traditional Brazilian cheese similar with farmer’s cheese. But I also really like to enjoy it with blancmange. Besides the perfect and delicious combination of flavors, it is also a beautiful dessert for a special occasion.

Blancmange is a dessert prepared with a milk base, sugar and gelatin as a setting agent. In the past, isinglass (fish gelatin) or chicken grease was used to substitute the gelatin. Sometimes it was also used almond milk instead of regular milk. Nowadays there are many variations. You can use coconut milk, corn starch and others several flavors. It’s also better known as panna cotta, a classic Italian version, or manjar in Portuguese.

When fig and peach are in season my mom used to prepare a coconut blancmange by using coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, coconut and sugar. But today I will share with you a recipe from the book Pierre Hermé Pastries. It calls for homemade almond milk, vanilla beans and gelatin. I knew for the first time when I saw this recipe that the papaya candied rolls would be a perfect accompaniment for it. It was also an excuse to try for the first time my homemade almond milk.

In the end, it was easiest then I thought it would be. Everything went so well! This combination ends up with the lightness of the blancmange, the intense flavor of the papaya candied and a stunning dessert plate.

Blancmange

(from the book Pierre Hermé Pastries)

Preparation time: 10 minutes (the night before) + 35 minutes (the following day)

Refrigeration time: 4 hours

Serves 6

Almond Milk

1 scant cup (200 g) still mineral water

1/2 cup (100 g) superfine granulated sugar

2 vanillas beans

1 3/4 cups (175 g) ground almonds

1 drop almond extract

The night before, make the almond milk. In a saucepan, bring the still mineral water to a boil with the sugar. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the liquid. Combine this syrup with the ground almonds and add the almond extract. Refrigerate overnight.

3 gelatin sheets

Finely grated zest of 1/4 unwaxed lemon

1 1/4 cups (275 g ) heavy cream

The following day, strain the almond milk through a fine-mesh conical sieve. Put the gelatin sheets into cold water and allow them to soften for 20 minutes.

Heat half a cup of the almond milk and melt the gelatin in it. Add the remaining almond milk and lemon est and mix well.

Beat the heavy cream in a chilled metal bowl and incorporate it into the almond milk. pour the mixture into a 8-inch-diameter (20-cm) ring mold. Place in the refrigerator to set, at least 4 hours.

Decoration

The recipe for the candied papaya you can find here. 

Unmold the blancmange onto a serving plate by quickly dipping the base of the mold into hot water and then inverting the blancmange onto the platter. Surround it with the candied papaya. Enjoy.

Mini Dessert Table

Since I started this blog, hunting and gathering new props has become a new pleasure. I really like spend hours in shops searching for unique and beautiful pieces. Besides using them for food styling, they are also a great source of inspiration. Weeks ago I was in an antique shop in Chagrin Falls and I found a vintage Haviland & Co plate. I fell in love with it immediately.  I started to imagine a whole post inspired by the graceful French rose pattern. So I created a little dessert table with painted cookies and mini cakes.

Recently I bought the wonderful book Pastries by Pierre Hermé, so I decided to try the chocolate cake recipe. It’s so rich and good. It matched perfectly with the dark chocolate ganache that I used as filling and frosting. I made one recipe and I cut it into 4 layers using a 3-inch ring mold. So this way I could prepare two mini cakes. I used gel food coloring for painting the fondant for the cookies and one of the cakes. For the other cake I made a sugar rose. 

Chocolate Cake

(from the book Pastries, Pierre Hermé)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

9 oz (250g) dark chocolate, 60% cacao

2 sticks (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups (220g) superfine granulated sugar

4 eggs (200g)

2/3 cups (70g) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°F)

Butter a 9-inch (22cm) cake pan, flour it, then tap to release any excess and tip it out.

Using a serrated knife, chop the chocolate. Melt it in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the bain-marie. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, beat the butter with the sugar and add the eggs one by one. Add the melted chocolate, and mix well, then sift the flour and incorporate it.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake the cake for 40 minutes, wedging the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Remove the cake from the oven and unmold it onto a wire rack. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Flower Cupcakes

I usually like to buy some flowers to my home. It is amazing how they transform the ambiance and bring beauty to the daily life.

This week I chose a bouquet with the purpose of reproducing it in sugar flowers. The flower that caught my attention was the red and white gerbera. I have never seen this flower before and I knew that I should try to make it. Beyond it I also made a lily, a rose and some mums.

Finally I used them to embellish some vanilla cupcakes. I used apricot compote to fill the cupcakes and white brigadeiro as frosting. I think they will make any dessert table beautiful and cheerful.

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Artichoke Risotto

It wasn't in my plans publish a salty recipe anymore since I have discovered my passion for baking and cake decorating. Then last week I made this amazing artichoke risotto from the book Escoffianas Brasileiras by the famous Brazilian chef Alex Atala. Recently his restaurant, D.O.M., was rated the 4th best restaurant in the world by the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. 


This risotto recipe was so good that I felt an obligation to share with you. I can’t wait to try more recipes from this book.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Artichoke Risotto

(from the book Escoffianas Brasileiras, Alex Atala)

Artichoke 

Ingredients:

4 large artichokes

50 ml white wine vinegar

5 l water

20 g salt

Preparation:

Cook the artichokes in water with salt and vinegar.

Remove the petals from the center (enough to open and remove the fibers).

Cool in ice bath and set aside.

Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

Risotto

Ingredients:

20 g butter

20 g onion, chopped

200 g Arborio rice

200 ml dry white wine

200 ml vegetable stock

500 ml of artichoke cooking liquid

100 g artichoke hearts preserved in olive oil, chopped

100 g of unsalted butter

100 g parmesan

Salt

Black pepper

Artichoke oil

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt butter.

Sauté the onion over low heat until translucent.

Add rice and sauté for three minutes.

Place the wine and let evaporate.

Add the warmed vegetable stock. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly.

When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, add more. Repeat the process until the rice is al dente.

Add artichokes hearts.

Remove from heat and add butter and parmesan. Stir well.

Season with salt, pepper and artichoke oil.

Warm the artichokes on the remaining cooking liquid. Drain well. Place each artichoke on a plate. Fill them with the risotto and serve with a lot of olive oil.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s day to my beloved mom and all the moms over the world!

I baked this cake with a lot of love and gratitude.  

Mom I love you! You are my inspiration and mean everything to me! I wish you a wonderful day!

My New Passion: Painting Fondant

Hi my Dear friends! Today I will share with you my newest passion: painting fondant. These cookies were made inspired by some blossoms trees that I photographed weeks ago.

I have painted since I was around 10 years old. As soon my mom noticed my interest for art, she enrolled me in a painting class. I started painting fabrics and years late I initiated to work on oil in canvas, which I became passionate about it.

Recently I felt an overwhelming desire to paint. I thought that fondant, food decorating pens and gel food coloring could be a good option, and I was right. I loved it! I think I discovered a new way to use my passion.

I hope you like it too!

Yellow Cupcakes with Brigadeiro Frosting

Last weekend a friend of mine ask me to prepare some cupcakes for her daughter's birthday. The theme was karaoke so I decided to decorate them with some little microphones, stars and music notes, all made with Satin Icing fondant. I painted the music notes using gel food coloring and I sprinkled some edible black glitter for finishing. To make the microphones I used food decorating pens, and edible glue and glitter for the stars.

For many occasions I have used brigadeiro as filling and also for covering cakes. But this was my first time that I have used it as frosting.  I liked very much the final result. I got a beautiful swirl using the Ateco tip 847. The cupcake recipe is the "Yellow Cupcake" from the book Miette. I slightly adapted the recipe by adding one vanilla bean and using cake flour instead all-purpose flour. These light and fluffy cupcakes were a perfect pair for the brigadeiro frosting.

Yellow Cupcakes with Brigadeiro Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes

The recipe is available on this link, page 75.

Notes: I used cake flour and also add one vanilla bean to the step 4.

Brigadeiro Frosting

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

200g chocolate (I used Callebaut Belgian Chocolate, 54.5% Cocoa)

120ml heavy cream

1 tablespoon honey 

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Over low heat, stir the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan while you scrape it with a spoon. The mixture should be thick enough to show the bottom of the pan for a few seconds before the mixture back again. Transfer to a greased bowl. Decorate the cupcakes when the brigadeiro mixture is at room temperature.