From the Perspectives’ Holiday KitchenHow you doin’? Aren’t Cream Puffs a scream? You’ll yell with pleasure with each delightful, indulgent bite. You will enjoy flavors of a light, eggy pastry with a delicate crunch, plus, a luscious, subtly sweet creamy custard filling. For this recipe I have used a vanilla-infused custard pastry cream. It’s part whipped cream and part pastry cream—the perfect balance of airy and rich. Finish them with a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate, as we did, and you find yourself with a truly luxurious treat. Of course, the Holiday Cream Puff could not exist if it weren’t for wonderful choux pastry, or pâte à choux as the French call it. It may sound highfalutin, but it’s actually quite simple to make. There’s a little boiling, stirring and mixing with a short list of ingredients: butter, flour, eggs, salt and some liquid. What kind of liquid? Either milk or water, depending on what you’re making. For gougères, those amazing French cheese puffs, we like to use milk to get a more custardy center. For cream puffs (and éclairs and croquembouches), we like to use water for the choux — as well as bread flour. The combination makes the puffs firmer and sturdier, so they hold up longer against the slow migration of moisture from the cream custard and whipped cream filling. Prep time: 35 minutes Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes Custard cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 2 dozen Ingredients For the choux pastry 1 cup water 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, rough chopped 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup bread flour 4 large room temperature eggs For the custard cream filling 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided 2 cups whole milk 3 large egg yolks 2 whole large eggs 2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste 1 cup heavy whipping cream For the cream puffs 2 dozen baked cream puffs 5 oz tempered dark chocolate (68%) or compound Directions To make the choux pastry
ChefSecret: To help you get positively perfect choux pastry puffs, dip your fingers in water so you can move and adjust the piped mounds as needed or dab out any imperfections. Baking the choux puffs at two different temperatures is the secret. Baking at 425° for the first half makes the puff glorious; baking at a cooler 375° for the second half creates that beautiful golden brown exterior. And you’ll wind up with light, pillowy puffs that won’t have any major cracks. Serving Suggestions: Puffs of choux are good for more than just cream puffs! We sometimes fill them with a mini scoop of our favorite ice cream, or a mound of chicken salad or smoked salmon mousse for party appetizer. Quip of the Day: I have a lactose intolerant friend who sells cream puffs for a living. He can’t take it, but he can dish it out. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #Desserts #HolidayCreamPuffs #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023
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…from the Perspectives' Candy KitchenHow you doin’? There are just 13 days ‘till Christmas! I found out my good friend Linda is quite a holiday cook. She writes me quite often regarding some of the blog recipes that we send. This time she sent one to me… she told me that No-Cook M&M’s Christmas Casserole is quite popular this time of year. It can be ready in no time—just as long as it takes to open 4 bags of the beloved panned candy. Forrest Mars Sr., son of the Mars Company founder, Frank C. Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating British-made Smarties, chocolate pellets with a colored shell of what confectioners call hard panning (essentially hardened sugar syrup) surrounding the outside, preventing the sweets (candies) from melting. Mars received a patent for his own process on March 3, 1941. Production began in 1941 in a factory located at Clinton Hill, Newark, New Jersey. The company's first big customer was the U.S. Army, which saw the invention as a way to allow soldiers to carry chocolate in tropical climates without it melting. During World War II, the candies were exclusively sold to the military. The resulting demand for the candies caused an increase in production and the company moved its factory to bigger quarters. In 1949, the brand introduced the tagline "The milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” And now you know the rest of the story! Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 20 servings Ingredients 1 bag plain M&M’s 1 bag peanut M&M’s 1 bag almond M&M’s 1 bag peanut butter M&M’s Directions
ChefSecret: There are all sorts of different flavors these days—regular and holiday. Mix and match as you please. Quip of the Day: Why was the M&M staring at the computer? It wanted to learn how to be a “smartie!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #M&MsCasserole #Smarties #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ Holiday Kitchen How you doin’? Are you looking for a show-stopping dessert? If you don’t mind spending the time here is my recipe for making mini dessert tarts that are wickedly cute and quite delicious. While the directions are a bit long, these little tarts are deceptively easy to make. The shells taste like buttery almond cookies. The base filling is a deliciously smooth and creamy pastry cream with vanilla and brandy flavor thrills, all topped with beautiful fresh fruit. You can really use any seasonal fruit. In the test kitchen, I aimed for color and shape—red raspberries, yellow mango, green kiwis and blue blueberries. The shine is from apricot jam glaze and of course a bit of whipped cream topping right before serving. These pretty little fruit tarts will be the perfect finish to a Christmas or New Year’s brunch, wedding shower, or really any special occasions. Always remember everyone loves the taste of something sweet at the end of any great meal. Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 15 minutes Chill time: 2 hours or overnight Bake time: 25 minutes Yield: 15 to 18 mini tarts Ingredients For the tart shells 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup almond flour 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided 1 cup unsalted room temperature butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Kosher salt 1 large egg, plus 2 egg yolks, divided For the pastry cream 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1-2/3 cups whole milk 1/4 cup heavy cream Kosher salt 6 large egg yolks 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon brandy 3 tablespoons unsalted butter For the fruit topping 5 cups mixed fruit, cut into bite-size pieces, if needed 2 tablespoons apricot jam Whipped cream or mint leaf Directions To make the dough
ChefSecret: Pastry cream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Finished fruit tarts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Quip of the Day: Why do we have Pop-Tarts and not Mom-Tarts? Because of the Pastry-archy. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #HolidayMiniFruitTarts #PastryCream #FruitTopping #Dessert #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchenow you doin’? I don’t know where 2023 has gone, but I see on the calendar that Christmas and the yearend holidays are just weeks away. Some of us love to bring homemade foods to our friends and relatives at holiday time. Cakes, breads, cookies and cakes are great local gifts for those close to where you live. Candy is a great gift for sending out—it’s always easy to send, well received and very much appreciated. In the past I always sent our Choclatique confections, but I’ve decided to change it up a bit this year. I love Italian-style soft and chewy nougat. Most of the time all I can find is the hard sugar kind made with almonds, hazelnut and honey. I decided to try making soft nougat myself. Italian-Style Soft Nougat starts with whipped egg whites, roasted nuts and dried fruit. There's quite a bit of sugar and honey in the mixture. Feel free to make it your own by adding dried fruits or even citrus peel. The secret to successfully shipping these through USPS is to use edible rice paper on both sides of this sticky treat. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Set time: 4 hours+ Yield: 10 to 12 servings Equipment: Candy thermometer Ingredients 2 sheets confection rice paper (confection supply or Amazon) 1 cup toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons water 1 large egg white, room temperature 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup dried fruit (dried cherries and/or candied, glazed fruit) Directions
ChefSecret: Edible wafer paper sheets are used for making creative edible decorations such as butterfly wings, flowers, feathers or using it to add texture to the sides of cakes, and so much more. Rice paper can be printed or airbrushed on and cut out using different punch cutters. Five 8 x 11-inch sheets cost about $4.00. Quip of the Day: “When you teach a wolf to meditate, he becomes aware wolf.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #ChristmasCandy #Torrone #SoftNougat #ItalianSoftNougat #Dessert #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 … from the Perspectives Kitchen How you doin’? This recipe was lifted from the pages of my book Choclatique—150 Simply Elegant Desserts. I love working with chocolate. I could sing the praises of cookies all day long. They’re easy to make, easy to serve, and tasty, too! There are a zillion different options. There is nothing better that Italian Christmas cookies. Sarno's Hollywood was located on Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, just about a half mile west of the old ABC Television Center. It was the first place that I knew of that served real espresso in the 1970’s. You could go there at any time of the day and see many of your favorite Italian heart throbs on break from the soap opera taping at the studio--General Hospital, The Young Marrieds or Day in Court. Aside from real espresso and great potato gnocchi (not chocolate) they had a fantastic array of Italian bakery delicacies and Italian cookies. My choice was always the Chocolate Crackle Cookies. These soft and crackly cookies were rich, with a deep chocolate flavor accented by the espresso which was the perfect ingredient complement to raise the level of chocolate flavor. There was also a touch of almond extract. While the almond is not completely authentic for this traditional cookie it adds an additional layer of flavor. Prep time: 30 minutes Chill time: 2 hours (or overnight) Bake time: 30 minutes Yield: 30 cookies Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I prefer Guittard) 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 4 ounces chopped dark chocolate (72%) 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I prefer Plugra) 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 1 cup confectioners' sugar Directions
ChefSecret: Make sure to let the melted chocolate cool so you don’t scramble the eggs. Quip of the Day: Today we will live in the moment. Unless it’s unpleasant in which case we will eat a cookie. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #ChristmasCookies #ItalianChristmasChocolateCrackleCookies #Chocolate #Cocoa #Cookies #Dessert #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
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