Sunday, 18 2010
contributed by food guest blogger Becoming Lola
I wanted cake. I needed chocolate. I am needy, yes I agree. But let’s not make this about my flaws. This should be more about my huge blogger (girl) crush on Paris Pastry (which means it should be your huge new crush too, seeing as how I have exceptional taste and you should follow everything I say…no that was not sarcasm) and since reading through her archives time and time again, she has expressed this undeniable infatuation with not only Nigella Lawson, but this particular chocolate cake recipe that has been nagging me ever since. Sour Cream Chocolate Cake to be exact, and it comes highly recommended by Paris Pastry, so that’s enough for me.
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawsons’s Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake via Paris Pastry
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)
- 3 tablespoons best cocoa
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup buttermilk (which I added for ultramoistness, but eliminate if you like)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Then, using an electric mixer, add the butter.
- In a wide-mouthed measuring cup, whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla, then slowly add this cocoa mixture to the ingredients in the bowl, beating until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into 2 8-inch pans buttered or lined with parchment or wax paper and bake for about 20-30 minutes. When they’re ready the cakes should be starting to shrink back from the edges of the tins. Leave for 10 minutes in their pans on racks, then turn out to cool.
Icing
- 3 ounces milk chocolate
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon hot water
Method:
- To make the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water or double broiler.
- Let cool a little, then stir in the sour cream, vanilla and syrup.
- Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and a little hot water, blending until smooth.
- When you’ve got the texture right – thick enough to cover but supple enough to spread, adding more sugar or water as required – you can ice the cakes.
No Comments »
Saturday, 17 2010
contributed by guest food blogger Sugar Crawler
David Lebovitz wrote that this ice cream is better than Berthillon’s Glace Caramel, I don’t know, I’ve never been to Berthillon. But I surely know that this ice cream tastes exactly like caramel candies. Buttery with strong sugar burnt taste and slight hint of salt. Also I went all fancy with this ice cream, I used French butter and Fleur De Sel from Bali.
Now lets talk about how I made it without ice cream machine, here’s the article from David Lebovitz about how to make ice cream without ice cream machines. Go read it and I bet you’d think, “Man, this is easy!” because I thought of that too. But then, after total 3 days of making, freezing and waiting, I thought, “this is not easy”. It’s a long time of mixing the ice cream batter and break the crystal water to make the smooth silky ice cream. And the result? It is a smooth ice cream, tastes so good like I mentioned above and worth those 3 days of making, mixing and freezing. But this ice cream melts too quick under the sunny summer sun, so make sure to finish the ice cream soon after you take it out of the freezer, though it wont be a big problem for an ice cream this good.
ps: i’ll surely get an ice cream machine soon, it is a good kitchen investment
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz
(makes one generous quart)
“ I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but be sure to use good salt. I use fleur de sel, but if you don’t have it, a mild-tasting sea salt will do in a pinch, such as Maldon, fine gray salt, or kosher salt. Don’t use ordinary fine table salt; it’s far too harsh.
Because of the caramel in this ice cream, once churned and frozen, it’ll remain nice & creamy (as shown in the photo.) To make it firmer, crank up your freezer a bit or store it in a shallow pan.”
For the caramel praline
½ cup (100 gr) sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel
For the ice cream custard
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1½ cups (300 gr) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter (I used unsalted French butter)
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt (I used 1 teaspoon Fleur De Sel)
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup (100 gr) of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty saucepan: I use a 6 quart/liter pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brush it sparingly with unflavored oil.
2. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)
Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long.
3. Without hesitation, sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring (don’t even pause to scratch your nose), then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.
4. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.
5. Spread 1½ cups (300 gr) sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.
6. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.
The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk.
7. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F (71-77 C).
8. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
9. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions or click here to read about making ice cream without ice cream machine.
10. While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti (about ½-inch, or 1 cm). I use a mortar and pestle, although you can make your own kind of music using your hands or a rolling pin.
11. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel, then chill in the freezer until firm.
Note: As the ice cream sits, the little bits of caramel may liquefy and get runny and gooey, which is what they’re intended to do.
Variations: Add some strong liquid espresso (or instant espresso powder) to the custard to taste, prior to churning the ice cream to make Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream.
Other options might be some of the mix-ins in The Perfect Scoop, like gooey Dark Chocolate Truffles, crackly chocolate Straciatella, or Oatmeal Praline folded in at the last minute.
8 Comments »
Friday, 16 2010
We racked our brains. We paced up and down. We even had 5 cupcakes to soothe the anxiety (who are we kidding, we’d use any old excuse). And finally, we settled on this. The best way to polish off the week and celebrate Fridays- an Etsy roundup of course! But not just any old roundup. Our roundup is exclusively via Papernstitch, one of the best curated sites around.
We’ve been a little decor crazy this month here at Dujour, so for week 2 of our tgif posts, its all about cushions, fabrics and prints! Do tell us what you think!
Oh boy, oh boy are we newly in love with Etsy shop, Indo Bay Textiles. So sweet. So charming. So quirky and perfect for summertime decor ideas! Her “Home Sweet Home” linen banner is hand printed with loving care.
We hear robots. Do you heart robots? Well you will now. How can anyone deny their love for these adorable robot pillow cases from Mengsel.
Its summer and our nomadic nature is itching to come out. We already covered all of Montreal, Chicago, Wisconsin and Michigan for travel issue. What are your next stops? We hear on twitter some of you are planning road trips to remember! Well, hang a little mobile manor on your wall from Moxie Doll, and never forget those plans!
Satchets are oh so cute, and make the perfect gift any time of year. But what better time than now to remind that special friend you are thinking about them with the sweet delicate smells of summer! Don’t get your ruffles in a bunch, we’ve got just the thing. These lavender filled satchet pillows have our vote for their whimsy, colorful and artistic nature.
And alas, we couldn’t just pick one cushion…two of them were vying for our attention and we could not look away. Whether you are gifting a custom love note or simple need a little animal fun whilst sleeping, these postcard and Rhino pillows will do just the trick.
3 Comments »
We can’t all afford to take a voyage to India to play dress up, but maybe a dip in the Pandora’s box that is Lizzie Fortunato’s summer collection will make up for it… and then some. We love the tribal and ethnic influences in this budding designer’s work, from the knotted fabrics to the precious stones and antique chains, this is craftiness at its chicest. In fact, we were hard pressed to find a piece in the whole series we didn’t like! Do you?
