I cannot believe it took me a month to post those. Where did the time go? I miss the days I was able to post more often and I hope that things will slow down soon.

As you know, in the US, everything is big and in France everything is small, (and no that’s not a myth). In my kitchen world, the smaller the better, so imagine the happiness when I found those super tiny silicon madeleine molds in this new boutique in Nancy, last time I was there.

First, I thought I would never use them, so why buy more kitchen gadgets that will fill up my cabinets and nothing else…then, being a bit weak and letting the temptations take over (I am only human), I bought them…and in love ever since.

Madeleines are traditional small cakes originated in Lorraine (my region) and more specifically in Commercy a small town in the Meuse “departement“. It’s a kid’s delight but everyone loves madeleines, they’re simply delicious little bites that go so well with coffee or tea. I found the base recipe (flour/eggs/butter/sugar ratio) in a small book called “Mini Madeleines” from Sandra Mahut which I like a lot. I tried other recipes and quantities but I must admit this recipe always came out perfectly.

To give you an idea of the size of those bites, they’re tiny bigger than a quarter, so very easy to gulp a dozen. You can flavor them with anything you like, green tea, lemon, orange blossom water, etc…I have been using essential oils in cooking lately and I must admit that the aroma of the essence gets addictive. The tangerine flavor enhanced by the essential oil and the final touch of Cointreau make these madeleines like drops of joy.

Ingredients for about 60-70 mini madeleines

• 150 g (or 2/3 cup) flour
• 120 g (or 1/2 cup) softened butter
• 150 g (or 2/3 cup) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• zest of 2 tangerines
• a few drops of tangerine essential oil
• 1 tsp cointreau

Preparation

Beat eggs and sugar until the mixture whitens. Gradually, add flour and baking powder. Incorporate soft butter and milk. Add zest, essential oil and cointreau. Mix well. Let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Using mini madeleine or regular madeleine molds, fill each hole with 1 tsp of batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 420F for about 3-4 minutes, then decrease temperature to 356F and let cook additional 3-6 minutes. If the madeleines cook too fast and brown quickly on top, decrease temperature. When cooked, remove from oven and from molds and let them cool on a rack.

Another fruit based dessert, or snack or gourmandise, you name it. I might not have cooked much while in France, but I sure did buy a lot of kitchen gadgets, such as my silicon mini madeleines molds. And since I came back, I baked those madeleines many times. They’re really tiny, about 1.5 inch length, and they go so well as a little “accompagnement” to any fruit based dessert, or ice cream, or simply as is as a delicious little snack.

But this is not about madeleines (I will write a post on mini madeleines soon after this one) and only about a wonderful roasted pear slowly baked with honey, vanilla and orange juice. A very simple dessert, yet elegant and absolutely delicious. You don’t need to serve this pear with madeleines, or whipped cream, but I think for a more “finished” dessert, they do the trick. You need pears that are not too ripe but not to firm either. Pear that are too ripe will cook very fast and will get mushy while cooking and you won’t be able to serve them. So in that respect, it’s better to get them too hard than too soft, that way you can always cook them longer.

For the whipped cream, I used a Siphon, they’re quite handy if you want to make espuma, flavored or fancy whipped creams, such as mascarpone whipped cream, avocado whipped cream, etc… I developed a crêpe menu for a company that makes these siphons and who opened a crêpe joint in Berkeley, so they gave me one siphon. Honestly I would have never thought of buying one, but since I have one now, I use it quite often. Here I flavored the cream with rose water and its delightful and delicate scent blended very well with the fruity flavors of the pear. That was indeed a real treat. Will re-do this dessert with no doubt over and over again…and real soon.

Ingredients for 4

• 2 pears, pealed cored and sliced lengthwise
• Vanilla bean powder
• 2 tbs honey
• 5.07 fl oz (or 150 ml) orange juice
• 1 tbs butter, cut in small pieces
• 1 cup (or about 200 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rose water

Preparation

Place the peeled pears in a dish, spread honey on top. Add orange juice, vanilla bean powder and butter cut in small cubes on top of pears. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 F for about 20 minutes or until the pears are soft but not mushy. Turn pears around during the cooking process and keep pouring juice on top. If the juice decreases and starts to thicken too much, add extra orange juice. When pears are cooked, remove from oven, divide on plates, pour juice on top and serve with cookies, whipped cream, madeleines, etc…

For the whipped cream, place heavy cream in siphon, add powdered sugar and rose water. Shake well. Add cartridge. Place back in the refrigerator to cool.

This is my last post before my trip to France, I am leaving on Monday to fly to Nancy (Lorraine) to visit my parents as every January. Hopefully I will get a lot of inspiration while at home and post some exciting recipes. In the meantime, I wanted to make these pots de crème for such a long time and les voilà!

I already talked about Le Garage, this wonderful little French restaurant in Sausalito, that serve delicious and fresh brunches (if you are in the bay Area I strongly recommend it) besides, their bread is absolutely the best in the Bay Area. Last Sunday, I ordered a pot de crème a l’expresso served with financiers (little almond cakes) for dessert, and I fell in love with them. Now that is my ultimate favorite treat after lunch. Pot de crème is literally translated into “cream jar” or “cream pot” and they come in many flavors, chocolate, caramel vanilla, etc…

I have tried many versions as an attempt to reproduce the same pots de crème, the first tentative was more like a flan than a creme, too much coffee and not sweet enough. The ratio milk/cream and egg was not right. There were too many eggs for the quantity of milk/cream. So I decreased half the eggs for the same quantity of milk/cream and they turned out too liquid. So I finally found the right ratio after a few tentatives. When you have the right quantities it’s such an easy dessert to prepare, so simple and quick too.

These pots de crème are delightful and if you like coffee, you’ll be in heaven. I will make these on a regular basis from now on.

Ingredients for 3-4 pots de crème (depending on the size of the cups)

• 10.14 fl oz (or 300 ml) milk
• 3.38 fl oz (or 100 ml) cream
• 1.41 oz (or 40 g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 yolk
• 1 small espresso cup of espresso

Preparation

Pre-heat oven at 320F

In pot, mix cream, milk, sugar, and coffee and let it boil. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and yolk well. Pour the milk mixture on top of the eggs and stir well.

Strain mixture to remove the foam and pour in small cups.

Place in a water bath and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. remove from oven and let cool. Place cups in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve with a dollop of creme fraîche in the center and sprinkle with coca powder, or coffee beans.

If you are not a cook, nor a pastry chef, this would be for you…How a dessert can more simple? Besides, it’s quite light, so in my book all the attributes to be called a perfect dessert. I think as a “petite chose sucrée“, a little sweet thing to serve when you have unplanned guests and no time to prepare a more complex dessert. You can also eat this as a snack with tea, the cups are small, about 2 1/2 inches height so in a few spoonfuls, you’re done.

I believe that you should not skip on anything, not fat, not sugar, so obviously not dessert either but eat small portions. That is the key to maintain a healthy body, and keeping a weight down (and of course exercising). I don’t believe on those restrictive diets that will make you lose weight, make you moody and miserable, then gain all the weight back, due to uncontrollable cravings. Maybe that is my French background that is talking this way, but so far it has shown to be efficient.

Of course, there can be many variations, such as replacing the banana with pears, pineapple, or any other fruit you like. Also, instead of the caramel, you can use chocolate, since chocolate and banana have been made for each other. For the caramel, you can use the one you buy at the store, I found some delicious caramel à la fleur de sel in a small jar at the Rainbow Market, that added a nice touch to it.

This pudding will be classified in my “ à refaire souvent” (to be made often) category due to its easiness and deliciousness ratio. It’s creamy, flavorful and light…just the way I love my desserts.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 slices brioche
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• 4 tsp caramel
• 4 tbs raisins
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1/2 cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs rum

Preparation

In a mixing container, combine eggs, sugar, milk, cream, rum and vanilla. Mix well to obtain a homogenous consistency. Using some small glasses (the ones than can be placed in the oven of course), start putting together the pudding. lay banana slices at the bottom of the glasses, then add raisins (previously soaked in rum), add brioche and proceed the same way with the other layer.

At the end of the process, you need to finish up with the brioche on top and not the banana. Pour the egg/milk mixture on top to cover the brioche.

Cook in a bain-marie (water bath) for about 25 minutes at 380F until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool, sprinkle with vanilla powder or powdered sugar and eat cold (not lukewarm) or at room temperature

Belgium is a tiny country, but it sure does how to make cookies. I grew up with spéculoos, probably because I lived close to the Belgium border.

My friend Laurent who is Parisian never heard of Spéculoos. So that’s why I came up to that conclusion. Actually The Netherlands and Germany do have their version of Spéculoos, and Northern France too. It’s a crunchy cookie with spices, and quite a substantial amount of cinnamon.

I did not bake those cookies for myself since I am not a huge fan of cinnamon but for one of my friend Mike. I thought Mike being American, he must like cinnamon. Usually spéculoos are thinner and have animal or rectangular shapes, I played a bit with it and made them round and thicker.

The particularity of theses spéculoos is the cinnamon essential oil that I added. I bought a book called “cuisiner aux huiles essentielles” (Cooking with essential oils” from Valerie Cupillard) which is quite an innovative cuisine.

Essential oils don’t only have to be used in baths, perfumes, massages, etc…if you only use a few drops they can also used in cooking. It gives a complete new dimension to your vegetarian dishes. Cooking with essential oils are a true olfactory discovery linked to the pleasure of your palate. Essential oils are very concentrate and a few drops are sufficient.

There are some strict rules to follow when cooking with essential oils. They always have to be diluted in a oily or syrupy mixture, and never be ingested pure.

Those cookies are delightful with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, or can even be used as a base for various desserts, such as on crumbles, verrines, crusts, etc…their use is infinite and their flavor exquisite. It’s truly very versatile cookie with lots of personality.

Ingredients for about 15-20 spéculoos

• 8.8 oz (or 250 g) flour
• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp four spices
• 3-4 drops of cinnamon essential oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3.52 oz (or 100 g) butter
• 1.76 oz (or 50 g) almonds, ground
• 1 pinch salt

Preparation

In a mixing container, blend flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder and spice powders. Melt butter, and beat egg. Add drops of cinnamon essential oil to the butter, then mix butter and egg to the flour-spices mixture. Add salt. Mix all ingredients well, you will obtain a soft dough. Form cylinders with dough of about 2 inches diameter. Wrap in plastic film and place in refrigerator overnight. The day after, remove from refrigerator and cut in small disks, about 5 mm. If you like them thicker cut them to 1 cm.

Place on a cookie sheet and cook in a pre-heated oven at 350F for about 15 minutes. Do not over cook or the spéculoos will become too hard.

Another year is going by, who likes getting older? I don’t and people who say they do, I am not sure they really mean it…yesterday was my birthday and I got up with a massive headache! So I still decided to treat myself thinking that one of those mini desserts, will make me feel better. When and if you make pain d’épices, you open the door to many preparations. I could not resist to make those mini desserts after I made pain d’épices. They’re not sweet, but very light and terribly delicious. Of course, they’re tiny so you can easily eat a few. That glass is actually about 2 inches tall, or a bit smaller, so with a few spoonful, you can finish it up.

Mini desserts are great for parties, you eat one and it’s not stuffy, no one likes the feeling of being stuffed (I don’t), the feeling of being satisfied is much more pleasant in my opinion. The mousse is so light and the fruity compote combined with spicy cake makes it the perfect trio.

Ingredients for 6 small verrines

For the Fromage blanc mousse

• 1 egg
• 1 tbs sugar
• 4 tbs fromage blanc or Fage Greek yogurt

For the peach compote

• 2 yellow peaches, peeled and cut in small cubes
• 1 tsp brown sugar (or to taste)
• a few drops of vanilla extract

For the pain d’épices – see recipe here

Preparation

For the mousse

Separate yolk from white and place in different containers. Add sugar to the yolks and beat until the mixture turns white and creamy and doubles volume. Beat the whites in a stiff consistency. Carefully add the whites to the yolk/fromage blanc mixture.

For the peach compote

Cook peaches with sugar and vanilla for about 15 min or until they turn soft and mushy. Let it cool down.

In a small glass, place one tbs or tsp (depending on the size of the glass) of crumbled pain d’épices, add 1 tps or tsp of peach compote, then add fromage blanc mousse. Repeat process twice until you reach top of the glass. Eat at room temperature or cold.

I decided out of the blue one day to make pain d’épices…I think last time I had one slice I must have been 10 years old. What is pain d’épices? Well it’s another one of those traditional French breads or cake that is popular in Alsace region. It’s literally translated into “spice bread”, simply because it has many spices. It could be an distant ancestor of the Ginger bread, but the French one has no ginger so, I would not even try to compare it to ginger bread.

Pain d’épices is made with honey and rye flour, and no sugar even though some recipes include brown sugar. Of course some recipes vary slightly from one to another; this version has no butter nor oil, so no fat and no eggs. Its consistency is very similar to the one I am used to eating in France…chewy, dense and very flavorful.

The origin of pain d’épices is traced back to ancient times (as far as the Egyptians) and was brought to Europe from China by the Crusades. They brought back the recipe and the spices, It was then spread over Europe during the middle ages, and the first Pain d’Epices called Lebkuchen was found in Germany in 1296. But it’s in Reims in XVII century that the Masters of Pain d’épiciers (Maîtres de pain d’épiciers) were officially recognized by King Henri IV as a specialty company. Reims remained one historical city linked to this bread. Nowadays there are two different kinds of Pain d’épices, the one from Reims made with mainly rye flour and the one from Dijon made with mainly wheat flour. Think that that we have a Museum on Pain d’épices in Alsace, called Musée du Pain d’épice et de l’art populaire Alsacien so that’s a serious deal!

In this recipe I use already packaged spices “épices pour pain d’épices” I bought during my last trip to France, but you can use loose ones, so I will give you the quantities for regular loose spices.

Pain d’épices can be served with savory dishes such as foie gras, or salmon…it can be eaten as is with a cup of hot chocolate, or as a toast with butter and jam, even prepared as a French toast, or combined with fruits in verrines (this will be on my next post). So as you can see its use is quite wide.

I was thinking that for someone with a savory tooth like mine, I did quite a good job with the sweets lately. The beauty of it is that I always share half of my sweet concoctions with my neighbor…otherwise I would break the poor scale. Unfortunately I am not among the lucky ones who can eat anything and remain thin…I have to work at it!! Oh well, maybe in my next life!

Ingredients for one loaf

• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) wholewheat flour
• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) rye flour (you can also use 250 g rye only)
• 7 oz (or 200 g) honey
• 1.7 oz (or 50 g) agave nectar
• 6.7 fl oz (or 200 ml) milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp star anise powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp clove powder
• 1 tsp orange peel powder (see picture above)

Preparation

In a mixing bowl combine honey, agave nectar and lukewarm milk. Mix well to dissolve the honey. Add flours gradually whisking well to obtain a smooth and homogenous mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients. Place in a bread pan previously buttered and floured to prevent from sticking. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 365-370F for about one hour. Let it cool and serve warm or cold.

After gougères, I thought to continue with pâte à choux and make something special for the sweet tooth crowd: Des Chouquettes! It’s basically the sweet version of gougères with a sweet dough and sprinkled with pearl sugar. Chouqettes in France are as famous as the Eiffel Tower. They had a contest last year in Paris about which bakery would make the best chouquettes. So if you’re in Paris and decide to try the best chouquettes in the city, check this article. Sorry it’s in French but they give you the address! I added some orange blossom water for a little twist, but traditional chouquettes are plain, with no flavoring. I recommend trying the traditional ones the first time you make them, then you can play around with the flavors.

You have to get a specific texture, inside and outside, right color, etc…so making great chouquettes is not always that easy. Every boulangerie in France sells them, by the 100 g, but of course, hard to leave with only a 100 grams!

I can assure you that those are always a crowd pleaser…bring them at any party or dinner, you will be the star of the evening. Besides what’s a cuter name than chouquette???

Ingredients for about 24 chouquettes

• 4.20 fl oz (or 125 ml) water
• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) white flour
• 1 tbs orange blossom water (optional)
• 2.4 oz (or 70 g) butter
• one pinch salt
• 1.9 oz (or 55 g) sugar
• 4 eggs (+1 one for brushing)
• pearl sugar

Preparation

Place water, sugar, butter and orange blossom water in a pot. Bring to a boil and remove from stove. Add flour gradually and whisk well to obtain a smooth dough. At this point the dough will thicken. Put the pot back on the stove and keep stirring until the dough detaches from the sides of the pot and dies out a bit. Remove from stove. Let it cool for a few minutes.

Add eggs one at a time and incorporate into the dough, to obtain a smooth dough/batter.

Place dough in a piping bag, and on a cookie tray, form small balls the size of a walnut. Brush the top with a yolk, and decorate with pearl sugar.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 380F for about  20-25 minutes.

Financiers are a traditional individual little French cakes made with almond powder and brown butter. Usually they’re rectangular but I gave them their original round shape. They’re sometimes called Visitandines, due to their original fabrication by Visitandines nuns. They used to be round like these ones but became rectangular over the years and especially after arriving in Switzerland where the Swiss decided to make them rectangular.

Financier in French also refers to people working in the finance field. It’s been said that these tiny cakes were created by a pastry chef or what we call pâtissier so that finance people would not make their fingers dirty while eating them. I don’t know if it’s true, but I think that there is always something true in popular ear-say.

After surfing the wonderful site called l’Atelier des Chefs, I saw this little dessert that tempted me and I decided to try it out. Do not hesitate to make these financiers, they’re delightful. I only substituted agave nectar to powdered sugar in the coulis which adds a more natural and flavorful touch, other than that the recipe remained the same.

Since peaches are in season, it’s the perfect time to grill them and eat them warm with these green tea cakes…and what’s better than a strawberry coulis to add the final touch? nothing. These mini cakes are very moist and absolutely perfect for any occasion.

Ingredients for about 10 financiers

For the Financiers

• 2.82 oz (or 80 g) almond flour or powder
• 1.76 oz (or 50 g) white flour
• 0.35 oz (or 10 g) matcha green tea powder
• 6.17 oz (or 175 g) powder sugar
• 5.29 oz (or 150 g) egg whites (about 3)
• 5.29 oz (or 150 g) butter

For the coulis and peaches

• 6 peaches
• 1/2 lb (or 250 g) strawberries
• agave nectar

Preparation

For the financiers

In a mixing container combine all ingredients except butter. Melt butter in a pan and let it brown. Do not let if cook too long until it becomes too dark. It needs to have a nice nutty color. Let it cool and add to the other ingredients. Divide the batter in muffin molds (fill in the molds to half). Cook in a pre heated oven at 180C.

For the coulis, blend strawberries with agave nectar.

Cut peaches in slices and grill on a skillet on both sides.

Serve financiers with grilled peaches and strawberry coulis.

My favorite fruit is finally back in season! Cannot get tired of eating peaches…Of course, we don’t need to do anything to the fruit to enjoy a juicy and sweet peach, but sometimes we can turn them into an elegant and delightful little dessert by roasting them. I love to grill roast, saute, poach, or anything you can think of, just like a vegetable.

I haven’t been able to blog nor read anyone’s blog as much as I would like simply because I am too busy at the moment, cooking and preparing menus, and I thought summer would slow down, which seems to be just the opposite. I still think with my French mind, where in France everything slows down during summer, because everyone goes on vacation, so July and August are dead.

When I have a little time, I always enjoy posting some new recipe, even if it’s something as simple as that. Sometimes, a warm roasted peach enhanced with honey and Grand Marnier is all you need to make your day perfect. It did it for me today, despite the same old San Francisco gloomy summer weather. I haven’t used Grand Marnier in desserts for years, and I remember when I was growing up in France, they sold Grand Marnier flavored yogurts from Yoplait, and my aunt was going crazy about them. Doesn’t this sound funny to have a yogurt with a liquor flavor? I guess in the US, you’ll need to show an ID to get those yogurts!

If you buy the kind of peaches that are hard to peel, cut the in half and place them in boiling water for 30 seconds. They’ll peel very easily.

You can serve this with vanilla ice cream and butter cookies and it will make truly a wonderful dessert.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 white peaches
• 1 tbs salted butter
• 2 tbs lavender honey
• 1/3 tsp vanilla powder
• 2 tbs Grand Marnier
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped

Preparation

Peel peaches, and cut in half. Melt butter in a pan and brown peaches on both sides at high temperature. Don’t let the peaches overcook or they’ll get mushy. Add honey and decrease temperature. Sprinkle with vanilla powder. Add rosemary, and stir for one 30 seconds or so. Pour Grand Marnier, and flame. Divide in bowls and eat warm. How simple is that? Almost as simple as eating it!