Molten Chocolate Cakes Revisited

Molten chocolate cakes with peanut butter mousse.
The cake recipe can be found here.

Peanut butter mousse:

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Mix peanut butter, vanilla, and sugar. Whip in heavey cream.

WOW

Its been a LONG time. I have a new job as pastry chef at The House On Main.

Thats my pastry kitchen. Isn't it great

Thats the main kitchen. If you don't have one you should.
My fav. ring molds.

YAY

YAY..I got a new job at a restaurant that will be opening up in June. :-) So I may not be able to post much in the next few weeks. I have tons of planning to do. Very excited about it.

Hope I actually still have a few readers :-)

Cornbread

10 oz flour

11 oz cornmeal

2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients.

4 eggs

8 oz melted butter

2 cups milk (or buttermilk)

1 cup cooked corn (opt)

1 cup cooked bacon (opt)

Mix liquid ingredients. Stir liquid ingredients into dry. Bake at 375 F for 20 - 25 mins.

Best baked in very hot greased cast iron skillet. This causes the crust to be very crisp. But can be baked in any kind of pan.

Corn Madeleines

1 tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh corn, cooked

Whisk togerher dry ingredients. Whisk egg, buttermilk, and buttter together. Mix wet into dry ingredients. Stir in corn. Bake at 400 F for about 8 mins in a madeleine pan.

Cream Puffs and Eclairs

I did well...I only ate 5 of them :-)

Eclair dough (pate a choux):

9 1/2 oz flour

1 pint water

6 oz butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 pint eggs

Heat water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil. Stir flour into water. Stirring constantly until mixture forms a mass and pulls away from sides of pan. Transfer to stand mixer. Let cool sligtly. Mix in eggs 2 at a time using paddle attachment on low speed.

Pipe into desired shape. Bake at 425 F until they are puffed and starting to turn brown.

Reduce heat to 375 F and bake about 10 -12 mins longer. Let pastries cool to room temp.

Pastry Cream:

1 qt milk

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

4 oz egg yolks

2 large eggs

2 1/2 oz corn starch

2 oz butter

Bring milk and vanilla bean seeds to a simmer. Mix sugar, yolks, eggs, and corn starch together. Temper into milk mixture (add a small amount of the hot milk to yolk mixture and stir..then add yolks to the remaining milk). Reduce heat to med low and cook until the mixture had thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Let cool. Place in pastry bag fitted with a pointy tip.

Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dark chocolate

1/8 cup light corn syrup

Heat cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Mix in corn syrup (the syrup not only sweetens the glaze but also makes it shiny).

Take pastry bag and poke the tip into each eclair and fill with pasty cream. I make the hole in the tops so it can't be seen after its dipped into the glaze.

Me At Work

These pics are from December. See I have proof that I work hard. hehe

Dawns Last Day

So today was Dawns last day. She was one of our prep cooks. I'll miss her about as much as a bad headache. Ok ok so maybe I will miss her just alittle.

Playing in tiramisu

I promise I didn't rub any on her face....honest. :-)

Chocolate Biscotti

6 oz butter

6 oz dark chocolate

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

tempered chocolate

Melt butter and chocolate together.

Combine flour, cocoa, powder, salt and soda.

Beat eggs and sugar for 2 mins.

Add in chocolate butter mixture.

Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Let dough stand for 15 - 20 mins to thicken.

Form dough into logs. Bake at 350 for about 30 mins. Remove from over and let stand 20 mins.

Cut each log into strips with a serrated knife. Bake slices for 12 more mins. Let cool.

Once cookies are cool they can be dipped into tempered chocolate. I used dark chocolate but you can use milk or even white chocolate if you wish.

Blackberry Financier

I really really really love these cakes. I'm always shocked that they aren't more popular. I made them at work today and ate 3 but shhhhhhhh don't tell.

1lb Beurre noisette*, cooled

1 lb 2 oz Powdered sugar

5.5 oz flour

5 oz almond flour*

14.7 oz egg whites

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Spoon into cake pan or muffin pan. Press berries or fruit into the top of the batter.

Bake at 350 for about 40 mins. The tops will be a nice golden brown.

You can use any kind of berries or fruit.

*Beurre noisette is browned butter...to make cook butter over medium heat until it starts to turn brown in color.

*Almond flour is just finely ground almonds.

Gigi from gigi cakes made a different version of financiers that im gonna have to try. Check them out at http://gigicakes.blogspot.com/2008/04/fruit-financiers.html.