Ingredient: Butter

  • Pineapple Tarts

    Pineapple Tarts

    Pineapple tarts are small pastries filled with pineapple jam. They are commonly eaten in different parts of Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    They are made with a crumbly pastry base and a paste made with pineapple cooked and caramelized in sugar and spices.

    Considered a must-have ‘festive cookie’, pineapple tarts are usually eaten during Chinese New Year, Hari Raya (Eid el Fitr) and Deepavali and are offered to the guest and family.

    There are several shapes of these biscuits depending on the country: roll, dumpling, tart…But the recipe for these biscuits does not change so feel free to be creative on the shapes! 

  • Paris-Brest

    Paris-Brest

    Paris-Brest, is a pastry that comes in a shape of a circle filled with hazelnut cream with toppings. As of today different versions exist with various kind of cream and nuts like pistachios and almonds…

    Unfortunately for the many English speakers out there, despite how it’s pronounced the dessert itself has no resemblance to a woman’s bosom. Yes, it’s a common misconception assumed among English speakers in that the origin of the pastry is sexual or that the dessert comes in a particular dome shape. 

    In fact the origin itself might not be the first thing to come to mind.

    The supposed origin is of a newspaper editor wanting bicycle use to become popular in the town of Brest and decides to launch a bicycle race from Paris to Brest. He wanted to promote the race and asked a pastry chef by the name of Louis Durand who eventually created this famous dessert in 1910.

    The Paris-brest is shaped like a bicycle wheel to celebrate the cycling race and can be found in nearly every bakery in France; it is one of the classics. Furthermore, it has recently been popping onto numerous menus in the US. It’s one of those desserts that people in the states might not be know much about but only look over other tables and tell the server, “I want that!”

    Note: 2 big Paris-Brest were made which serves for 30 people but ingredients can be adjusted based on the number of people.

  • Humpy Madeleine

    Humpy Madeleine

    The madeleine, traditionally eaten without any additional flavors, is typically enjoyed with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Easy and quick to make, this childhood favorite is baked into soft shell-shaped cake and can also be made with chocolate chips, chocolate coated, lemon peel, orange or orange blossom!

    There are many legends and stories to how madelines have originated. One of the stories around this iconic cake is that it has been created in 1755 in the castle of Commercy. Duke Stanislaus of Poland organised a reception, but his chef and cook had an argument and left Madeleine, a young cook, alone in the kitchen. She used her grandmother’s recipe and made shell-shaped cakes with it. It was such a success that the duke named the cakes after her and Commercy became the world capital of the Madeleine.

  • Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

    Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

    The salted caramel chocolate tart in my opinion is one of the best desserts I can eat. The chocolate ganache and the salted caramel go perfectly together and it is so easy and quick to make.

    This cake is literally the bomb… a calorie bomb but it’s totally worth it. It melts in your mouth and you only crave it even more!

    The ingredients for the caramel are listed on here but the recipe for it can be found on here.

  • Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake

    Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake

    A vanilla chocolate marble cake is a cake with layers of different colours a bit like the crystalline rock of the same name.

    The different coloured layers are obtained by mixing different dark and light batters. These batters can contain different ingredients such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, fruit or spices so you are not limited to just 2 colours.

    This cake is quite popular in France as an after school snack; children will have a slice … or two when walking on their way home.

  • Cherry Pistachio Tart

    Cherry Pistachio Tart

    The cherry pistachio tart recipe came into my mind when I was reminiscing about what I ate every summer holiday in the south of France at La Salvetat from pastry chef Flipo.

    The nutty pistachio taste goes very well with the tartness and sweetness of the cherries

    The types of cherries usually used are morello cherries, which are slightly more sour and aren’t as sweet. But I had to use the more traditional cherries because it was easier to find in London and I discovered that it does not impact the taste too much. In fact my colleagues absolutely loved it!

  • Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Chocolate Chip Cookies are small, dry, round biscuits with chocolate chips and originated from the United States.

    These fluffy chocolate chip cookies are secret weapons when you do not know what to bring to a social event. They are also a classic favorite to give to children. Once baked, these soft biscuits are crispy on sides and the middle melts in your mouth.

    This traditional recipe combines dough composed of butter, both brown and white sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips and vanilla. There are many variations of this recipe and are not limited to the use of just chocolate. You can use with other types of chocolate as well as swap some ingredients for peanut butter, banana or oatmeal.

  • Fistik Sarma

    Fistik Sarma

    I had the best Fistik Sarma during my recent trip to Turkey. It was soft with a strong green pigmentation and a dominant taste of pistachio.

    I wanted to replicate this recipe once I got back home, but was only able to find recipes in Turkish. I had to watch a few videos to get an idea of how to make it.

    For a modest variation, you can use a combination of walnuts and almonds for this recipe.

    Fistik means “pistachio” in Turkish, but it is also used as a compliment for a pretty girl.

  • Ecstatically Chocolate Éclair

    Ecstatically Chocolate Éclair

    Chocolate éclair is the pastry that you can find in any boulangerie in France. Commonly flavored with chocolate or coffee and situated close to the counter when you buy your daily bread, you can’t not see them.

    Éclair can be translated as ‘flash’, it is called like this because it can be eaten very fast.

    The beginning of the recipe is the to prepare the chocolate custard. Feel free to replace the chocolate custard by any flavor of your choice, vanilla, hazelnut …

     

     

  • Butternut Squasherd’s Pie

    Butternut Squasherd’s Pie

    Butternut Squasherd’s Pie is not your usual shepherd’s pie. No beef and no potato but pork and butternut squash.

    It tastes sweeter than a shepherd’s pie and has a more of a fall vibe, the kind of meal you could have around Halloween.