Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Out of the oven comes my souffles, looking puffy and lovely. Then there is a knock on the door, which I ignore, even though I know it is the UPS man. I quickly bring it to the “photo” area and set it carefully down. Then an oh too familiar sound…my dog is in the corner throwing up…I ignore this too and set up. I whip out the camera, which is already to go and get two pictures taken…and the camera freezes(which means I am out of batteries…point and shoots just take double A’s). Frantically running through the house and using language that I usually only reserve for playing hockey I find two batteries and thrust them into the camera as quick as I possible can. The sinking had already begun so I just went ahead and put the sauce on and took pictures. It still had a little puff but had life not intervened(once again) I could have gotten a few more “good” ones in.
I chose to do a cheese souffle for HHDD(Hay Hay It’s Donna Day), hosted this time around by Running with Tweezers… Tami is a repeat winner of HHDD so she knows how to pick a theme :). I love them so and they are such a classic. I did go cheese crazy mostly to use up the plethora of cheese that was in the fridge…gosh I love cheese. I went with the cherry sauce because I wanted a little something sweet to cut through all of the cheesy goodness.

Six Cheese Souffle with Cherry Black Pepper Sauce

Souffle
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated balarina goat gouda cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflé dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in the cheeses (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflé base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflé mixture to prepared dish.
Place soufflé in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflé until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large soufflé (or 25 minutes for small soufflés). Using oven mitts, transfer soufflé to platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit

Cherry and Black Pepper Sauce

3/4 cup black cherry jam
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Melt jam in a saucepan on medium heat and add pepper. Cook until it starts to bubble and has a smooth consistancy. Remove from heat.

Sometimes being able to cook/bake is a curse. Gone are the days when you can go to a get together and swing by and pick up something from the store on your way there(even though that is what everyone else did). People expect a little more from you and you can often see the disappointment in their faces when you bring just cookies or something that is easy to make. When I was fresh out of pastry schooling I seemed to be double cursed as everyone and their mother(mine included) seemed to be volunteering my services to everyone…for free. Oh sure they would pay for the ingredients but it was always a friend or a friend of the family or such and the guilt would pile on whenever I thought of charging(I have since gotten over that :)). The number one thing people would volunteer me for were swan cream puffs. You know what I am talking about, those lovely little birds that get put out at fancy buffets. Having a baby shower, bridal shower, small wedding…no problem….Peabody is your girl. Until I met my death, otherwise known as the day I knew I would never make another swan cream puff again…that was the day I made 1500. Yes, 1500, you read that correctly. So to say the least I hate, hate, hate cream puffs(sorry Ivonne)…if I have to make them. If I don’t have to make them then I don’t have too much of a problem. Except I am picky. I am not a super pastry cream fan…especially in éclairs and cream puffs. I prefer diplomat cream..a blend of pastry cream and whipped cream. So enjoy this, because it will be QUITE some time before I make another cream puff. And before you ask…no I wont make cream puffs for you daughters/son/friends/whoever’s baby/bridal shower, birthday or wedding/anniversary.

Pate a Choux 

7 ounces water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3/4 ounces Unsalted Butter
5 ounces Flour - All Purpose
5 extra large eggs

Boil water, salt and butter  in a heavy saucepan.
Add flour while stirring, continue stirring for several minutes, until the mixture gets very hot and uniform in consistency. 
Transfer mixture to an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, and mix on Low speed for 2-3 minutes until mixture has cooled down. 
Crack the eggs into a clean container.
While still mixing on Low add the eggs, one at a time.  After the addition of each egg wait until the mixture absorbs it and becomes completely smooth again. 
Using a pastry bag, dispense the choux paste through the desired tip onto a paper lined baking pan or non-stick pan.
Bake in a hot oven 425°(F) until they have puffed and gotten some color, then reduce the temperature to 350°(F) until they dry out inside. Do Not Under bake or they will fall flat. Cut one open to check the inside for wetness, before removing from oven, if your not sure that they are done.
Make into small puffs - large puffs - small eclair - large eclair - small buchette - large buchette and riviera shells (paris brest). This formula will yield 25 to 30 small puffs or eclairs, likewise 8 to 10 of the larger items.

Source; The French Pastry Chef 

Pastry Cream

1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar(divided use)
2 cups whole milk(divided use)
4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP unsalted butter

Combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl, then stir in 1/3 cup of the milk. Blend the yolks into the cornstarch mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth.
Prepare an ice bath. Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove pan from the heat.
Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding about one-third of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the remaining milk mixture to the eggs. Return mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, vigorously stirring with a whisk, until the mixture comes to a boil and whisk leaves a trail in the pastry cream, 5-7 minutes. As soon as the pastry cream reaches this stage, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Transfer the pan to the ice bath. Stir occasionally until the pastry cream is cool, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the pastry cream to a storage container and place parchment or waxed paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cover the storage container tightly and refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days.

Diplomat Cream

1 package(2 1/4 tsp) powdered unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups pastry cream
1 cup heavy cream

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl and stir to break up any clumps. Let the gelatin soften in the water for about 2 minutes. Heat the softened gelatin over simmering water or in a microwave for about 20 seconds on low power until the granules melt and the mixture is clear. Stir the gelatin into the pastry cream by hand with a rubber spatula until blended.
Whip the cream in a chilled bowl until it holds a medium peak when the whisk is turned upright. Working by hand with a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream in 2 or 3 additions, folding just until evenly blended.

Source: Adapted from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America

Chocolate Icing
5 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
2 oz. Butter
1/4 cup Water

1. Melt chocolate with water in a small pot over a low flame.
2. Once melted add butter, whisking the whole time. Should look shiny and creamy!
3. Remove from heat. Dip pate a choux top into the chocolate icing and smooth out with a spatula.

To assemlble: Cut the pate a choux puff into two parts with the top being bigger. Put diplomat cream onto the bottom half of puff. You can either pipe or just spoon it on there. Dip the choux top into the icing, waiting for icing to slightly harden. Place it onto of the diplomat cream filled bottom. See photos.

When my uncle lived in Tennessee for awhile he developed somewhat of an obsession for Elvis. Now not the kind that Elvis was used to(no panties were flying here ) But an obsession with finding all things tacky that were Elvis related…which lucky for him, was not hard to do. It became sort of a quest for me too. My aunt of course hated this with a passion and discouraged it greatly…I still do it…giving him Elvis wine for his wine cellar just this last year :P. My best find however, came on the Mexican border, when I found a velvet painting of Elvis(his later, fatter years) dressed as a bullfighter and crying. I knew that would push my aunt over the edge and so I passed since I thought I would be nice to still get to talk to her at family functions.
I was trying to figure out what to do with my leftover brioche. On one of Dorie’s side notes she talked about Bostock, a treat that the French came up with to use up their stale brioche. Traditionally it calls for almond cream and almonds, but I thought, hey, Elvis had a birthday this month, why not make a peanut butter and banana version of this and that is what I did.
I soon discovered why there is no peanut butter pastry cream…it separates something horrible :|. I did however strain it and reheat and it turned out much better. It doesn’t puff up like the almond cream would because it is oh so heavy. But it was good and a different way to start off the day instead of oatmeal.

Peanut Butter Pastry Cream

1/3 cup sugar
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 large egg yolk

Place sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir in cream and using a figure 8 pattern, stir until it starts to thicken. Add peanut butter and stir. Put half the mixture in another bowl with an egg yolk and whisk vigorously. Put the mixture with the egg back into the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Put pastry cream in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate.

Bostock:

Cut a slice of brioche 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Spread the bread with peanut butter cream. leaving a little border bare. Put the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 350F oven for about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: Inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours

Well I feel so behind lately. The Seattle area has been having beyond weird weather for us lately and the city is not adjusting all that well and neither am I. Now I am from cold weather country, and snow and ice are usually not a problem. The problem is that up there in the Nordic tundra you have appropriate clothing and more important appropriate vehicles to drive in. Currently we drive a Ford Focus(we only have one car because hubby takes the bus to work and we are trying to be more enviro-friendly). Anyway, Ford Focus plus ice equals driving in a zig-zag when I am trying to drive straight. So the grocery store I have not been to and so my staples are getting quite depleted. I saw the other day on Cooking is Medicine that she made cinnamon rolls from Baking: From My Home to Yours. She said her brioche was a little dry(the loaf she made, not the buns) and so I had to give it a try myself. I chose to make the pecan sticky buns because I have to reach my goal of 16 pounds gained and this will help me get there quicker Now, the recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter. Some people squawk at this idea, where I don’t even bat an eye. Three sticks of butter just equals darn good to me. I didn’t find this to be dry at all(both the buns and bread I made for dinner that night). The sticky buns were over the top and I did eat half the pan.

When our crazy weather decides to clear up I see ecliars and cream puffs in my future.

Golden Brioche Loaves
make dough one day ahead then shape and bake the next

2 packets active dry yeast (4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch while milk (I used skim)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

Put the yeast, water, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can to keep you from being covered in flour! Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (you can peek), then remove the towel, increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two. At this point you will have a dry, shaggy mess (it’s true).

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce speed to low and add the butter in 2 Tablespoon size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like a batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes (This made my heavy kitchen aid mixer “dance” across the counter, so you may want to listen and be available to steady the mixer).

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40-60 minutes. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight.

If making Brioche loaves: Butter and flour 2 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pans. Pull dough from the fridge and divide into two equal pieces. Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3.5 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until dough fills pans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until loaves are well risen and deeply golden, about 30-35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto cooling racks. Cool at least one hour.

For the Glaze
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cup pecans

For the Filling
1/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP packed light brown sugar
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche, chilled and ready to shape

Generously butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan(a Pyrex is perfect for this).

To Make the Glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out as best you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle over the pecans.

To Make the Filling: Mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.

To shape the Buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1 inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can.
With a chef’s knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the rolls if they’re very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch-thick buns. Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.
Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and,in all likelihood, touching each other.

Getting Ready to Bake: When the buns have almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.
Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden: the glaze will be bubbling way merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.
The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or butter foil. Be careful-the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.

Source: Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan