Quatre Quarts

Posted on 13 June 2013 by French Foodie| 6 Comments

Quatre quarts (Pound Cake, also called Quarter pounder cake in the US) is a simple and delicious cake, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. This classic French cake is called that way because the 4 main ingredients (butter, eggs, flour and sugar) are used in equal proportion. This results in a moist cake with a nice crispy crust when it’s been freshly baked, which mellows after a day. This cake keeps really well for a few days and can be derived into many different cakes if you add fresh or dried fruits to it (apple quatre quarts is a must) or change the flavours (chocolate, rum, coffee, Amaretto…).

QuatreQuarts_002

Source: Nuage de farine

Ingredients

3 eggs (weigh them)
Same weight as the eggs of self raising flour (if using plain flour, add 1 tsp baking powder), sugar and butter
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 2 tsp Amaretto liquor)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven at 180C.
  2. Make sure you weigh the eggs in a 1g precision scale for better accuracy. Keep the same weight for the other 3 main ingredients. For me, 3 eggs amounted to 152g.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Set aside.
  4. Thermomix version:
    1. place the eggs, sugar and flavour in the TM bowl along with the butterfly whisk.Whisk 10 min/speed 4, measuring cup OFF. The mixture should be pale and fluffy.
    2. Continue whisking for 1 min/speed 4 while adding the warm melted butter through the hole in the lid.
    3. Remove the butterfly whisk and add the flour + salt and mix 20 sec/speed 3. Finish mixing with the spatula in a clockwise motion until the flour is mixed in.
  5. Non Thermomix:
    1. whisk the eggs/sugar and flavouring for 10 minutes.
    2. While still whisking, add slowly the warm melted butter.
    3. Add the flour and salt and fold in with a spatula until combined.
  6. Pour into a cake tin about 20cm long (buttered and sprinkled with icing sugar all over so it doesn’t stick). If using fresh pears or apples, peel and slice them thinly and spread half at the bottom of the tin, pour half the cake mixture, spread the other half of fruits and finish with the remaining batter.
  7. Place the tin on 2 cold baking sheets and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  8. Leave for 5 minutes, then unmould and leave to cool on a grid.

QuatreQuarts_001

Posted in Cakes

Tagged

Antipasti platter

Posted on 10 June 2013 by French Foodie| 5 Comments

With the glorious weather we’ve had recently in Dublin, cooking a dinner is not always on my priority list. I had a pack of delicious Blazques cured ham waiting to be eaten in my fridge so I decided to make a cold platter of antipasti. I arranged the cured ham, some salami, green olives and smoked chicken slices on a plate and made some goats cheese balls and roasted artichokes tossed in balsamic vinegar. A few red roasted peppers from a jar and voilá! A simple and tasty platter, served with Italian breadsticks that left us perfectly contented without me breaking a sweat!

AntipastiPlatter_001

To make the goats cheese balls:

  1. take some fresh goats cheese and crumble into a plate.
  2. Dry toast some pine nuts and walnuts on a fry pan.
  3. When golden, take out to cool and chop roughly the walnuts.
  4. Mix with the goats cheese and form into balls.

AntipastiPlatter_003

Special Mention

MargaretBrioche

Margaret, a Thermomix consultant in Australia has made my brioche Nanterre and sent me her picture. You’ll agree with me that her brioche looks fantastic! Well done Margaret and thank you for sending me your photo. If you too have made one of the recipes on this blog and want to share your results, please send me your pic and I’ll post it here :-)

Posted in Platters, Starters

Tagged , ,

Cupcake Bouquet

Posted on 7 June 2013 by French Foodie| 8 Comments

Last Sunday was my daughter’s birthday. I had recently seen a beautiful arrangement of cupcakes in the blog Amuses bouche and it looked so pretty! The cupcakes were iced with a rose pattern and assembled in a bouquet and I knew that this would look irresistible to a bunch of 7 years old girls! Her buttercream is also quite unusual: using half butter and half custard, making it less sickening while keeping its shape beautifully. I used floral flavourings for the buttercream, keeping with the bouquet theme but you could use any flavouring you like…

CupcakeRoses_003

Source: Amuses Bouche

Ingredients
For 12 to 15 cupcakes

200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 beaten eggs
200g self raising flour, sieved

For the buttercream:
150g custard
150g softened unsalted butter
4 tbsp icing sugar
2 drops rosewater and 2 drops of violet essence (or any flavouring you want)
Food colouring of your choice (prefer gel or liquid colouring to powder)

Tip: if doing lemon cupcakes, replace the custard with lemon curd and omit the colour and flavouring…

Method

  1. Preheat the oven at 180C
  2. To make the cupcakes (Thermomix):
    1. place the butter and sugar in the TM bowl with the butterfly whisk. Cream together 2 min/speed 3.
    2. With the blades running at speed 3, slowly add the beaten eggs through the hole in the lid.
    3. Remove the whisk and add the sieved flour. Mix 20 sec/speed 3 or until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  3. Non Thermomix:
    1. Whisk butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
    2. Slowly add the beaten eggs.
    3. On low speed, add the self raising flour.
  4. Place in cupcake cases no more than 4cm diameter (don’t use too big cases as it wouldn’t stay on the stick because it’s too heavy, see picture).CupcakeRoses_002
  5. Smooth the top of each cupcake so that it rises evenly.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 min. Leave to cool on a rack completely.
  7. Take wooden skewers and place some sellotape around the non pointy end, about 1 inch/2cm away from the edge (see picture). This will stop the cupcake from sliding down the skewer later on.CupcakeRoses_001
  8. Pierce each cupcake bottom with a toothpick at the center. Place the cupcakes in the fridge to harden for 1 hour minimum.
  9. Meanwhile, make the buttercream:
    1. Thermomix: place the butterfly whisk in the bowl with the butter and cream for 1min30/speed 3 until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides with the spatula half way through.
    2. Add the custard and beat together 1 min/speed 3 until well combined.
    3. Add the icing sugar and beat another 10 sec/speed 3.
  10. Non Thermomix:
    1. Whisk the butter until pale and fluffy.
    2. Add the custard and beat again until well combines
    3. Add the icing sugar and whisk for a few seconds.
  11. Divide the buttercream in 2 (if you want to make 2 colour roses).
  12. Add colouring and flavouring to match and mix well.
  13. Place in piping bag with a 2D nozzle (see picture). This is important as a different shape nozzle will not render the rose petals. Note that other nozzle brands might not call this shape 2D so go by the shape of the nozzle.CupcakeRoses_003
  14. Take the cupcakes out of the fridge and pipe them starting from the center and going in circle outward. You don’t need to go until the edge of the cupcake as it will be easier later on when arranging in bouquet. Sprinkle with edible decorations.
  15. Place in the fridge to harden the buttercream.
  16. To assemble: stick the non pointy end of a skewer into the bottom of a cupcake, the sellotape will stop the cupcake from sliding.
  17. Fill a vase with ceramic beans or dried beans and stick each skewer into the beans. This will keep them from sliding into the vase.

CupcakeRoses_001

 

Posted in Cakes, Sweet bites

Courgette salad

Posted on 5 June 2013 by French Foodie| 4 Comments

This month Supertoinette challenge was presented by Christine and perfectly suited the beautiful weather we are finally having: a salad. Not just any salad, a steamed courgette salad and with a sauce that makes all the difference. Indeed, it is using strong mustard and boiled eggs, the mustard bringing a powerful taste to the dressing and the eggs adding texture. I really enjoyed eating this salad (who would have thought about using courgettes in a salad?) and it looked just wonderful. I’ll be making this again for sure!

SaladeCourgettes_001

Source: Christine_43

Ingredients

Serves 2 people as a starter or 1 as a main dish

1 courgette
2 eggs
1 tbsp strong Dijon mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot
Mini roasted peppers from a jar or black olives to add colour
Salt and pepper

 

Method

  1. Thermomix:
    1. Place 500g water in the TM bowl.
    2. Place the 2 eggs in the internal basket and fit in the bowl.
    3. Cook 10 min/Varoma/speed 1.
    4. Meanwhile, wash the courgette and slice it thinly with a mandoline.
    5. Place in the Varoma and when the 10 minutes cooking are over, place the Varoma on the lid (leave the eggs in the basket) and cook for 5 min/Varoma/speed 1.
    6. Carefully remove the Varoma and set aside to cool.
    7. Lift the internal basket using the spatula hook and place in cold water to cool down.
  2. Non Thermomix:
    1. Boil the 2 eggs in a saucepan filled with cold water. When the water is boiling, count 7 minutes while continuing to boil and take out of the heat.
    2. Quickly dip the eggs in cold water to cool.
    3. While the eggs are boiling, thinly slice the courgettes with a mandoline if steaming. Steam until the courgettes are just softened but still bright green.
    4. If you don’t have a steamer, plunge the courgette in cold water and bring to the boil. Leave to boil for 8 to 10 minutes or until the courgette is soft when pricking with a knife.
    5. Take out of the water and leave to cool before cutting with a knife into slices.
  3. To make the dressing: peel and finely chop the shallot and place in cold water to soften the taste. Set aside.
  4. Take one boiled eggs, remove the shell and chop it finely with a knife.
  5. Mix the mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil together. Add the chopped egg and the drained shallot. Mix well. You can add chopped herbs if you like.
  6. Arrange the courgette slices on a serving plate. Peel the other eggs and arrange on the courgettes.
  7. Sprinkle with the dressing and some piquillos peppers or black olives if you wish.

SaladeCourgettes_002

 

Posted in Salad, Starters, Varoma, Vegetables

Tagged ,

Heavenly chocolate cookies

Posted on 3 June 2013 by French Foodie| 6 Comments

I have recently discovered this absolutely wonderful blog called C’est ma fournée. This French blog, written by Valérie is a gem for anyone who, like me, loves baking. Not only are her recipes and photos fabulous, but she also is hilarious so each time I visit, I end up spending a long time reading, learning and having lots of fun. If you can read French then by all means have a look at this blog, you won’t regret it. If you can’t, keep reading because I am about to write about her cookie recipe which is to die for (well, they’ll certainly send you to heaven!). Her cookies are not hard and crunchy like too many recipes out there, no! They are crisp at the edge but soft at the centre like any proper cookie should be. I have adapted her recipe to Thermomix to make it’s super fast and easy so here we go…

ChocolateCookie_001

Source: C’est ma fournée

Ingredients

125g soft light brown sugar (important to use soft brown sugar as it is a moist sugar so will help keep the cookies moist and soft once cooked)
125g salted butter
175g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
20g ground almond
100g  chunky bits of dark, milk or white chocolate (try not to use chocolate chips)

Method

  1. Place the butterfly whisk in the bowl and add the butter and soft brown sugar. Whisk for 3 min/speed 3, scraping down the mixture now and again. It should be creamy at this stage.
  2. Remove the whisk. Add the egg and mix for 30 sec/speed 3. Finish mixing with the spatula, turning clockwise to avoid the sharp end of the blades.
  3. Add the flour, ground almond, baking powder and vanilla extract. Mix for 30 sec/speed 3 or until just combined. Don’t over-mix!
  4. Add the chocolate chips and mix 15 sec/speed 2/reverse blade direction. It’s important to use chunky chocolate bits rather than chocolate chips as it makes the cookies much tastier!
  5. Tip out onto cling film and roll into a sausage shape (about 6/7cm in diameter).
  6. Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour, then cut the sausage into 1 or 2cm thick slices (thicker means a softer centre!) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Preheat the oven at 170C.
  8. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly (the centre will still look uncooked and the cookie will be very soft at this stage but it will harden as it cools).
  9. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before lifting with a flat spatula and eat while still warm, although I tasted one the next day and it is still soft enough and delicious :-)
  10. The beauty of the sausage business is that you don’t have to cook the whole cookie dough in one sitting. Just do as many cookies as you intend to eat and leave the rest back in the fridge. That way, you always have freshly baked cookies!

Posted in Biscuits

Tagged , ,

Hearts of palm salad

Posted on 31 May 2013 by French Foodie| 6 Comments

If you haven’t had hearts of palm before, you must try this as it is delicious. The taste of hearts of palm is very delicate and the texture is soft and juicy. A good dressing will exalt its flavour and the tomatoes and parsley add a splash of colour. A very nice and simple salad, done super fast with the Thermomix.

SaladePalmier_002

Ingredients

serves 2

1 can of hearts of palm (400g)
A few cherry tomatoes on the vine
2 sprigs of fresh parsley

Dressing
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp oil (I used rapeseed oil, but you can use any oil you like)
1/2 tsp mustard
1 celery stick, cut in chunks
1 shallot
Salt & pepper

Method

  1. Place all the dressing ingredients in the TM bowl and mix 3 sec/speed 5.
  2. Cut the hearts of palm into thick slices and the cherry tomatoes in half.
  3. Pour the dressing over and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

SaladePalmier_001

Posted in Salad, Starters

Tagged ,

Guilt-free chocolate cream with silken tofu

Posted on 29 May 2013 by French Foodie| 3 Comments

I just love it when I find a recipe that is both tasty AND healthy! Silken tofu is a soft form of tofu and can be found in health shops or in the allergy/health section in your supermarket if they stock it. I had heard about it a while ago to use as a substitute for eggs in a chocolate mousse but never actually tried it. Then, my friend Maiwenn from La main á la pate recently published a chocolate cream recipe using this unusual ingredient and I suddenly remembered that I had bought a carton of silken tofu a while back but never used it. This was thus the perfect occasion to try it although I wasn’t sure if I would like the taste of silken tofu. Well, it adds a slight tang to the chocolate cream but it is not at all unpleasant and you mostly get the taste of chocolate. It’s also a doodle to make and since it’s a guilt-free dessert, it’s got my thumbs up!

SilkTofuChoc_001

Source: La main á la pate

Ingredients

Serves 4

200g dark chocolate, cut in chunks
400g silken tofu
25g butter
2 tbsp corn syrup or golden syrup or honey

Method

  1. Blitz the chocolate in the TM bowl for 3 sec/speed 6. Scrape down with the spatula.
  2. Add the butter and melt for 5 min/60C/speed 2, scraping the sides of the bowl half way through.
  3. Add the silken tofu and syrup/honey and mix 30 sec/speed 6. Scrape down the sides and mix another few seconds at speed 6 to mix everything to a smooth creamy texture.
  4. Pour into ramequins and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Posted in Crèmes

Tagged , , , ,

Odaios Tented food exhibition – part 2

Posted on 27 May 2013 by French Foodie| 2 Comments

So here we are for the second part of our guided tour in the world of fine food hosted by Odaios (the first part is here).

LaFermiere_001

La Fermiere is a French dairy company founded in 1952 in Marseilles and was at the time the first company to put on the market high quality yogurts. It soon became renowned in the region and 60 years later, it is sold internationally and is synonym with quality and tradition. The range now extends to creamy desserts and rice puddings. Their yogurts are all using natural flavours (real Bourbon vanilla, fresh lemons, orange blossom honey…) and they are packed in beautiful terracotta pots, that customers can keep and reuse, thus making it environmentally friendly.

LaFermiere_002

SoliaColl

Speaking of containers, another company present at the food exhibition was Solia. This French company (yes another one!) is specialised in throwaway dishes, glassware and cutlery. Their designs is both beautiful and innovative, perfect for presenting food at fairs, catering events or canapés parties in the most elegant manner.

BeurreBordier_001

Staying with the dairy products we have a French butter and cheese company: Bordier. They are based in Brittany (where all the good salted butters are produced!) and still make their butter the traditional way (they are the last ones still doing so). For instance, they still use wooden paddles to manually shape their butter and the shapes vary from customized shapes and portions for restaurant or hotel use to the usual 250g stick of butter. They have also a range of very interesting flavoured butters: piment d’Espelette (a mild chili from the South of France), algae,Yuzu, smoked salt, lemon and olive oil and even vanilla (of course in the unsalted butter version)!  I tried the Piment d’Espelette and Lemon/olive oil and both were outstanding. I could see the lemon and olive oil butter very well on a fillet of steamed fish and the Piment d’Espelette would go nicely on some Provencal canapés.

BeurreBordier_002

 

KoppertCressColl

Probably the highlight of my day was Koppert cress, a dutch company, specialist in high end fruits and vegetables. Their products are of the best quality and freshness, most of which cannot be found in supermarkets. For instance, they have varieties of tomatoes I never heard of such as the pineapple tomato (the yellow funny shaped tomato you can see on the right in the picture above). They also have a great range of aromatic herbs, mini vegetables, edible flowers and other veggie oddities such as the oyster leaf: a leaf that has the taste of the sea! They supply very high end restaurants and fine food shops. Looking at their stall with all the vibrant colours was a feast for the eyes and I wish I could have brought home some of those beauties!

LaFruitiere_002

Last but not least is French company La fruitiere du Val Evel. They produce some of the best fruit purées and coulis out there as well as very innovative products such as the flavour pearls (small frozen balls of alginate with a soft liquid heart of fruit pulp or condiments), which not only look stunning but also add fantastic flavours to any dish. Their fruit purees and coulis are second to none, using only the ripest fruits, with carefully chosen varieties for maximum flavour and their package is designed to optimize taste and appearance. I tasted their strawberry and their mango purées and boy were they amazing. The fruit content is 90% and only 10% sugar (less for some fruits) and it really shows. The strawberry purée reminded me of my granny’s strawberry jam it was so good! My only complaint: they only sell in big packages (1kg minimum) so it is not really geared towards domestic use (although you can slice the frozen box to only use what you need). I think I might get a few of those for my macaron ganaches or fruit mousses, problem is: I would need a bigger freezer!!

LaFruitiere_001

There were many other companies present at the fair, which I didn’t have time to visit unfortunately: big names such as Elle & Vire, Movenpick and Valrhona  and other small producers so I am looking forward to the next year event!

Posted in events and tasting

Tagged , , , ,

Odaios Tented food exhibition

Posted on 24 May 2013 by French Foodie| 12 Comments

I was recently invited to attend the second edition of Odaios Tented food exhibition in Dublin’s Fitzwilliam square. Odaios is a food supplier for the catering industry and fine food retail market. Their ethos is to deliver high quality products to their clients and to provide excellent customer service. I came across Odaios last year as one of my Thermomix customers happened to work there and subsequently decided to join our team of demonstrators.  I have been very impressed by their range of products so when I got the invitation, I was very excited to get to meet the producers. I was not disappointed. There was a vast array of food on display that you could sample inside huge Tippees (sorry I didn’t take any pictures but they looked fab’) and outside, there was a barbecue sending delicious smokey scents of meat as a whole pig was being barbecued for lunch. I was in food heaven!

BlazquesCollI was first greeted by Luisa from Blázques Jamones, who invited me to taste their fabulous cured ham. The slices are cut waffer thin by a very skilled (and gorgeous!) ham carver who won a carving championship. The cut is very important to get the right texture on the palate and fully appreciate the delicacy of the ham. Blázques is a family owned business (a trait shared by a lot of the producers at the fair) established 75 years ago. Their Iberico pigs are free range and graze on pastures of acorn plots in their beautiful parkland in Andalusia. The acorn, I was told, makes the pig fat rich in omega oil so it is actually good for your cholesterol! Their products range from 36 months matured cured ham to fresh cuts of pork meat.

CoperhillVenison_001

I then went on to see Lindy from Coopershill house who was presenting her smoked venison. Coopershill house is an eco-friendly Grand Irish Country House set in 500 acres of woods and deer pastures in county Sligo. It has been the family home to eight generations of O’Haras and is featured in the Ireland Blue book, a reference in high quality Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Houses, Castles and Restaurants. Her smoked venison was just delightful, very tender and with just the right amount of smokiness coming through.

 

LosteCollMoving on to a French family owned company of Meat and ham produces (called charcuterie in French): Loste-Tradi France. Established in 1866, they have a long tradition in butchery and pork prepared products. Now their range extends also to pastries and cold starters. Their patés and saucissons (which I tried) were very fresh and tasty and they are trying to export those very French products to the UK and Irish markets. They are stocked in prestigious places such as Harrod’s and Selfridges in London and have acquired a loyal customer base of French expats over there. The Irish market is quite new to them but they are hopeful to get the Irish to discover the wonders of French charcuterie. I must say I can’t wait to see those products freely available in supermarkets over here as I miss my rillettes and patés terribly!

 

PatchworkPates_002Continuing with the patés, I moved on to a gentleman named Rufus from Patchwork who was busy filling beautiful ready-made canapés cases with some interesting looking patés. These are miles away from the French traditional patés I am used to as some of them don’t even contain meat and others are flavoured with very exotic ingredients such as the lemongrass and chilli paté, which I tried and found absolutely divine. This UK based company is all about creative patés that can be easily spread on anything you fancy and they even have a range sold directly in piping bags ready to fill a gazillions of canapés in no time. Some examples of their crazy creations are Marmelade and whisky chicken liver paté, wild boar with black seal rum and ginger, brown lentils with mushroom and garlic, spinach and nutmeg or Stilton and Guinness paté!

 

PatchworkPates_001The cases were borrowed from another stand at the event: Piddy’s 3 toques. This Belgian company makes very original pastry cases for all occasions. These cases have a very long shelf life so they are very handy to have in your cupboard for use in an impromptu dinner (they have full size tart shells as well as the canapé version). But a long shelf life doesn’t mean a mediocre product, far from it. I tried their vol au vent cases and they were far superior to the ones I usually buy at my supermarket (I might just ask them to stock this brand instead!). Check out their website for a full inventory of their products as their range is quite extensive.

 

KettyleCollNext, was a butcher company from Northern Ireland (county Fermanagh) called Kettyle Irish foods. They are located in the heartland of a beautiful natural environment (around the Erne Basin), with green, serene, yet spectacular landscapes, which was designated as an “Area of special scientific interest” by the European Union. This region has always been renowned for its primary beef production, the majority of its beef originating from traditional breeds such as Angus, Aberdeen and Hereford. I was amazed by the colour of their beef, a rich dark red with proper yellowish fat so characteristic of good quality meat. Their cattle are all free-range and the meat is dry-aged for 28 days, thus ensuring both flavour and tenderness. They also have an incredible variety of meat cuts, most of which you wouldn’t find in your usual butcher.

CornishSalt_001Last for this post (but there will be more to follow), is Cornish Sea salt. As its names implies, the company is based in Cornwall, South-West  England. Their sea salt is hand harvested from the purest Grade A waters so it’s no wonder celebrity chef James Martin dubbed it “The Gucci of British sea salt”. The reason why it’s so important to have good quality sea salt as part of your diet is because this salt is unrefined and unprocessed. It therefore retains all of its minerals and trace elements such as potassium, magnesium and calcium at a balanced biological level. The table salt on the other hand has lost most of its minerals through the refining processes and contains anti-caking agents, which are chemicals used to stop the salt from clustering together. Taste-wise, it is also worlds apart, that’s why many chefs recommend the use of sea salt in their recipes. I was already familiar with Cornish sea salt as I have used the plain version at home and found it really good but I was amazed to discover they have several flavoured salts as well. I tried the chilli version (the chilli is not overpowering but adds a hint of heat and flavour to the salt) and the smoked salt was wonderful, perfect for fish or salad dishes.

CornishSalt_002

As a final note, I would like to mention that I was not paid for writing this post. I think it is important to raise the awareness on good quality food as nowadays, so much harm is done by the heavily industrialised food companies with scandals such as most recently the horse meat passing as beef. I enjoyed talking to these producers, who are passionate about what they are doing and take great pride in their food.

 

Posted in events and tasting

Tagged ,

Brioche Nanterre

Posted on 23 May 2013 by French Foodie| 16 Comments

Yet another brioche recipe (you have one here, here, there and again there). But this one is THE brioche I will make again and again because it has the texture I have always been looking for!  This brioche is as light as a feather with a soft airy and stringy inside and a crisp thin crust outside. Just like at the bakery! I owe this recipe to Puce bleue from J’en reprendrai bien un bout and the secret of this fabulous texture is the flour type: instead of using strong white flour (or bread flour) as I usually do for breads, this recipe states to use Type 45 flour (French category of flour), which is known here as the Type 00 or Pizza/pasta flour. The reason behind it is because this flour is made with soft wheat grain and is the finest flour of all. Its gluten content is not as high as bread flour but the texture of breads made with it is softer with a crispier crust. The other secret behind this brioche is the long rise in the fridge (12 hours), which allows the yeast to develop slowly, enhancing again the texture of the brioche. Use good quality butter for making this as margarine or butter substitute will never render the same richness and taste to the brioche as real butter does.

BriocheNanterreColl

Source: J’en reprendrai bien un bout

Ingredients
For 6 people

280g pasta flour (type 00 or pizza flour) – if substituting with bread flour, only use 250g as it absorbs more water than type 00.
1tsp sea salt
35g caster sugar
10g fresh yeast or 5g dried fast action yeast
1tbsp milk
150g eggs (about 3 eggs)
125g unsalted butter, diced
Eggwash (1 egg  beaten with 1tbsp milk)

Method

  1. Thermomix: place in that order: the milk, yeast, flour, salt & sugar and eggs in the TM bowl making sure the yeast doesn’t come in contact directly with the salt or sugar. Mix 3 min/37C/speed 3.
  2. Add the butter, program 5 min, turn the dial to locked lid position and press the kneading button. Go to step 6.
  3. Non Thermomix: warm the milk until luke warm (make sure it is tepid as too hot milk would kill the yeast) and mix in the yeast.
  4. Place the flour, sugar, salt in a bowl, mix and make a well. Crack the eggs inside the well, add the yeast mixture and knead in the bowl for 5 minutes (or use a stand mixer with the flat beater). The dough will be quite soft and sticky, which is normal.
  5. Add the butter and knead again for 15 minutes (stand mixer: use the dough hook) until the dough comes out of the sides of the bowl and is soft and as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
  6. Tip out the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 2 hours (I use the oven heated for 1min to 50C then turned off to rise my dough).
  7. Punch down the dough and knead for a few seconds to give it back its initial volume.
  8. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 12 hours.
  9. Take out the dough and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes before punching it down and kneading it again. Fold the dough a few times over itself, lift it and let it fall sharply on the worktop. Repeat 2 or 3 times. This step is important to get the gluten  working and the dough will become more elastic.
  10. Weigh your dough (mine was 630g) and divide in 6 equal balls (I had 6 balls of about 105g each).
  11. Arrange side by side in a rectangular dish (I used a heart shaped silicone dish) and leave to rise, covered for 2 hours.
  12. Preheat the oven to 180C (if the dough was rising in the oven, take it out first!).
  13. Brush the dough with the eggwash and bake for 30 min. Eat soon after baking as it is when it’s at its best!

Orchidee_001Spring is still shy but at last we have had a few flowers growing and amazingly these Orchids blossomed again after a long winter!

 

 

Posted in Bread, Breakfast

Tagged , , ,