Girl with a needle, baking pan and camera

A picture documentary of the various projects I take on.

Baking
Needle Work
Photography
Skittle Art

Permalink Bread Pudding with Strawberry Wince Sauce Bread Pudding½ cup Sugar 4ea Eggs, separated 1 ¼ cup White Bread Crumbs ¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream 6T Butter, unsalted 1tsp Vanilla extract 1 cup Bitter Sweet Chocolate Chips Over a double-boiler melt chocolate, butter and cream until smooth and warm. In food processor, finely chop bread into crumbs. In separate bowl, whip yolks with ¼ cup sugar until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, whip whites and remaining sugar until soft peaks have formed. Mix chocolate mixture into yolks, fold in bread crumbs, then gently fold in whipped egg whites. Prepare souffle cups by spraying with vegetable spray and coating with sugar. Bake at 320 F in water bath for 15-25 mins. Cool for 20 mins. Red Wine Strawberries1 ½ cup Red Wine, reduced by half 1 cup Sugar 1 cup Water 1T Cracked Black Pepper 2 pints Strawberries In a stockpot, bring red wine to a simmer and reduce by half. In separate pot, bring sugar, water, pepper and one pint of cut strawberries to a boil. In mixing bowl cut remaining strawberries. When sugar pot comes to a boil strain over strawberries in bowl. Add reduced wine and cover air tight for 30 mins. Sweet Cream1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream 2T Powdered Sugar Whip Cream to stiff peaks and then add powdered sugar Gold Chocolate FeatherChocolate Candy Melts Gold Luster Dust Melt chocolate, drop by spoonfuls on parchment. With finger, swipe chocolate 3 times to resemble a feather. When set, dust with gold. Assembly Un-mould souffle. Top with dollop of sweet cream and pour red wine strawberries around souffle. Place feather on sweet cream.
Permalink Lemon Basil Macaron 250g Almond Powder 400g Icing Sugar 10g Egg Whites 200g Egg Whites whipped 80g Sugar pinch Dextrose Lemon Basil Yellow Food Color Sift almond powder and icing sugar together. Whisk the whites and then tighten by whisking in sugar. Fold in the almond powder mixture and raw whites. *Notes: Use drops of food color directly into egg whites at the end of the whisking
Permalink Caramel Walnut Tartlets *Short Dough Line molds with dough, blind bake until light brown and crisp. Filling25g Sugar 75g Glucose 100g Water 125g Heavy Cream 30g Honey 125g Walnuts 100g Hazelnuts 25g Pistachios Cook sugar, glucose and water to a light caramel. Heat honey and add to cream. Use this mixture to stop cooking caramel by pouring into caramel off the heat when desired color obtained. Stir, then mix into nuts. Pour hot mixture into base of tarts.
Permalink Floating Island Meringue 8oz Sugar 8oz Egg Whites Whip egg whites until frothy and you can’t see the bottom of the bowl. Gradually add sugar until you have a stiff meringue. Spoon the meringues into the poaching liquid and poach for 3 minutes on each side. Drain onto a paper towel and save for later. Poaching Liquid 1qrt Milk 2T Sugar 1tsp Salt 3ea Vanilla Beans, split Bring all ingredients together in a stockpot and scald. Sauce Anglaise 10oz Heavy Cream 10oz Milk 1cup Sugar 4ea Eggs 3ea Egg Yolks Combine the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla in a stockpot and scald. Combine eggs and yolks in a bowl. Temper eggs with some of the hot milk mixture. Transfer back to the stockpot and reduce heat. Cook sauce until it reaches Nape (coats back of spoon and holds a line). Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, chill in ice bath. Assembly Fill a martini glass with some of the anglaise sauce. Top off with 3 poached meringues. Sprinkle some shaved chocolate over the top, serve warm.
Permalink Chocolate Cherry Cake20g Raw Almond Marzipan 125g Eggs 35g Chocolate Drops 25g Cocoa 25g Sifted Flour 60g Melted Butter Cherry Liquor Cherries Sift flour and cocoa together. Work marzipan in mixer, gradually adding eggs. Add chocolate drops, sifted flour and cocoa. Add melted butter. Don’t overwork mixture. Pipe into buttered flexipan trays. Top each with a cherry before baking. Bake at 180c for 8 to 10 minutes. After baking, brush lightly with liquor. Notes: Used almond paste instead of marzipan. Brandy we used was too strong.
Permalink Romias Crowns250g Butter 100g Icing Sugar 2g Vanilla Powder 2g Salt 40g Egg Whites 300g Flour Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and salt. Gradually add egg whites and then flour. Don’t overwork mixture. Message dough before piping to soften up. Pipe circles, put in fridge for an hour. Nougatine100g Glucose 100g Flaked Almonds 100g Brown Sugar 100g Butter – cut into small pieces In copper pan melt glucose. Add brown sugar and butter. Stir in almonds, do not heat too much. Pipe into center of crowns. Bake at 180c for 12-14 minutes. *notes: used vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder. Dry, crunchy, and nice chewy center.
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Permalink St honore cake*puff pastry*pate a choux*caramel*crème chiboust*crème chantilly Cut 8 inch circle of puff pastry dough, dock. Using a pastry bag, pipe a circle of pate a choux around the outside edge of the puff piece. Pipe a loose, open spiral that starts at the outside and finishes in the center, decreasing in height as it moves to the center. Egg wash the puff pastry and pate a choux Bake at 350F until golden brown. On a parchment lined sheet pan, pipe small pate a choux puffs, about 12 to 15. Bake at 350F until golden brown. Fill pate a choux puffs with crème chiboust and reserve. When puff pastry is cooled, pipe crème chiboust over base using a plain tip, leaving the puffed edges of pate a choux uncovered. Dip tops of cream puffs into caramel, set caramel side down to harden. Using the caramel, seal the bottoms of the custard filled cream puff all around the pate a choux edges. Using a pastry bag with a st honore tip, or an angled slit, pipe crème chantilly over the crème chiboust in a decorative pattern. Pate a choux8.4oz whole milk8.4oz water1½tsp salt2¼tsp sugar7.5oz butter9.3oz pastry flour13.5oz eggsCaramel9¼oz sugar3¾oz glucose3oz water In saucepan, combine sugar water and glucose. Cook over medium heat until sugar mixture reaches caramel stage and has a golden brown color. Remove caramel from heat and plunge pan in ice water bath. Crème chiboust195g milk¼ vanilla bean10g sugar #115g cornstarch46g egg yolks½  gelatin sheet15g butter15g water64g sugar #212g glucose46g egg whites Bloom gelatin in cold water In a steel pot, combine milk, vanilla bean, and half of first sugar and bring to a boil. In a bowl, combine other half of first sugar and cornstarch. Whisk egg yolks, add cornstarch sugar mixture and whisk again. Temper milk into egg yolks. Strain mixture back into pot. Continue to cook until it has boiled for 2 mins, stirring constantly. Off the heat, add the butter and bloomed gelatin. Stir until mixed in completely. Pour into bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from developing. Heat water, glucose and second sugar until it reaches boiling point. Wash down sides of pan with water. Start whipping egg whites on medium speed. When sugar reaches 235-240F, slowly pour into whipping egg whites. Whip until 104F. Fold warm meringue into pastry cream. Crème chantilly300g cream100g sugar1 tsp vanilla extract Whip ingredients together until soft peak. Puff pastry280g bread flour135g water28g butter1 tsp salt1 tsp lemon juice1½tsp sugar227g butter, for lamination Mix all ingredients, except butter for lamination, to incorporation. Transfer to a lightly floured sheet pan, form into a flat square and cover with plastic Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour Roll butter for lamination into a square. Place butter square into center of dough square and close sides around it like a package. 5 to 6 single folds, 2 folds a time, allow to rest 30 mins between each set of folds. After resting for 30 mins, sheet or roll out to desired thickness.
Permalink Palmiers*puff pastrySugar Double fold pastry, should be long skinny log. Fold on heavily sugared surface. Refrigerate for a day. Cut into ½ inch thick slices, cut on sugared cutting board. Pinch in middle. Bake at 375F until golden on edges and dry. Flip over and bake until deep golden brown. Puff pastry280g bread flour135g water28g butter1 tsp salt1 tsp lemon juice1½tsp sugar227g butter, for lamination Mix all ingredients, except butter for lamination, to incorporation. Transfer to a lightly floured sheet pan, form into a flat square and cover with plastic Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour Roll butter for lamination into a square. Place butter square into center of dough square and close sides around it like a package. 5 to 6 single folds, 2 folds a time, allow to rest 30 mins between each set of folds. After resting for 30 mins, sheet or roll out to desired thickness.
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Permalink Napolean*inverse puff pastry*fondant*mousseline cream Bake puff pastry in between 3 sheet pans. 400F for 20 mins. Remove from oven, glaze with hot corn syrup. Cut into 3 even strips. Place back in oven without the extra sheet pans. Bake until deep golden. When cooled, apply half of cream to bas strip and spread evenly. Gently press second strip of puff pastry onto cream, apply second layer of cream and top with third strip. Glaze with fondant. Add chocolate fondant stripes and drag tip of tool to create traditional pattern. Mousseline cream1000g milk1 vanilla bean200g sugar200g egg yolks80g cornstarch 150g butter, room temp. In a pot, bring milk and vanilla bean to a boil. Let sit for few mins. Whisk egg yolks. Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Add sugar mixture to yolks, whisk again. Temper milk into eggs. Strain back into pot. Bring mixture to boil, then cook for 2 mins, stirring constantly. Mixture will thicken. Take off heat, add half of butter and whisk. Pour into shallow pan and cover with wrap to prevent skin from forming. Cool down as quickly as possible. Take 600g of cream and place in mixer. Add remaining softened butter. Mix on medium speed to incorporate Mix on high until mixture doubles in volume. Save rest of cream for later use. ( used it for conversations, recipe next week). Inverse puff pastry200g butter, cold100g cake flour150g bread flour1 tsp salt    70g water25g butter, soft Soften cold butter with rolling pin. In a mixer with paddle or hook attachment, combine flours and salt. Take 100g of flour mixture and combine with cold butter. Refrigerate until firm. In mixer, combine remaining flour, water and soft butter. Do not overmix. Form dough into square and refrigerate for 1 hour Remove butter mixture from refrigerator and roll into square. Place dough square into center of butter and close sides around it like a package. Two single turns, let rest. Repeat for a total of 6 single turns. Fondant500g sugar100g glucose150g water All ingredients in one pot, cook at medium high heat. Bring to a boil, wash down sides. Cook until 244F. Plunge pot in ice. Pour over marble slab. Once sugar cools down to 110F, splash some water on it. Agitate the mixture by folding and pressing it, using a wide metal spatula. Continue until the mass crystallizes, will look white.
Permalink Cheese straws*puff pastryCheeseHerbs Cut puff pastry into strips Layer cheese and other herbs on top. Twist. Bake at 350F until golden. Puff pastry280g bread flour135g water28g butter1 tsp salt1 tsp lemon juice1½tsp sugar227g butter, for lamination Mix all ingredients, except butter for lamination, to incorporation. Transfer to a lightly floured sheet pan, form into a flat square and cover with plastic Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour Roll butter for lamination into a square. Place butter square into center of dough square and close sides around it like a package. 5 to 6 single folds, 2 folds a time, allow to rest 30 mins between each set of folds. After resting for 30 mins, sheet or roll out to desired thickness.
Permalink Churro*pate a chouxCinnamon sugar for dusting Pipe pate a choux into skinny logs. Refrigerate or freeze. Fry in oil Roll in cinnamon sugar Pate a choux180g milk180g water1 tsp salt8g sugar158g butter200g all purpose flour286g eggs In a pot, combine milk, water, salt, sugar, butter. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add flour. Stir to combine Return to heat, stir constantly. Listen for a sizzle and cook for 2 mins. Put into mixer, mix on low to cool down. On low speed, add half of eggs. Turn speed up and mix. Slowly add eggs, checking consistency after each addition. Don’t add anymore eggs once mixture forms a well when you drag your finger through it, and slowly collapses back onto itself. Pipe into desires shape and brush with egg wash - 2 eggs, 1 yolk, 2 T water, pinch of salt. Bake at 425F for 5 mins and then at 350F for 10-15 mins, until golden.
Permalink Tarte tatin*puff pastry3/8oz glucose2oz sugar5/8oz butter½ oz cream2 ½ apples, granny smith, cut     into ¼ inch slices Use sugar to make dry caramel. Once amber color is achieved, add glucose, butter, and cream. Stir. Pour into bottom of circular pan. Layer apple slices on top, press down firmly. Cut puff pastry into circle the size of pan, dock and lay on top of apples. Bake at 350F for 25-35 mins. Puff pastry280g bread flour135g water28g butter1 tsp salt1 tsp lemon juice1½tsp sugar227g butter, for lamination Mix all ingredients, except butter for lamination, to incorporation. Transfer to a lightly floured sheet pan, form into a flat square and cover with plastic Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour Roll butter for lamination into a square. Place butter square into center of dough square and close sides around it like a package. 5 to 6 single folds, 2 folds a time, allow to rest 30 mins between each set of folds. After resting for 30 mins, sheet or roll out to desired thickness. Dry caramel4oz sugar1oz water Put a small amount of sugar in a pan on high heat. When sugar starts to brown, shake pot and turn heat down to medium. Slowly add rest of sugar, stirring the whole time. Slowly add water, stirring.
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