Barquettes & Tartlets

Barquette tins are shaped like small gondola boats. Tartlets are round fancy moulds. They are easily available in the market. If you don’t find them you can use any ordinary tart moulds. I have used different shapes like you can see in the picture. I have a wonderful collection of these mini tart moulds in different shapes which are gifted to me by my sis-in-law. I adore those!

When you think of tarts the instant picture about them is something small filled with lemon curd or jam filling. I like to do alterations in the recipe and try to use non ordinary things to give it a not so common look or taste. They are as much fun to make as they are to nibble.

These tarts are homemade made out of scratch from short crust pastry dough. Its look is simple, its medley of textures is surprising and it’s taste the most important part is – sublime. I find short crust pastry the most easiest and less tricky of all the other pastries. It is surely less time consuming and less messy to handle while rolling out and shaping the dough. Of course one has to take certain precautions while handling the dough. In all these pastries only the ratio of flour and fat differs.

Barquettes & Tartlets filled with Cream Cheese Icing & Seedless Red Grape

Once your barquette shells are baked, rest them for quiet sometime until they are at room temperature. You can prepare your filling along side. You can either make sweet or savoury filling depending on the occasion and time. You can also prepare your pastry shells 2 days before the actual serving. I prefer to do that, so that you don’t have to do all at once on the same day. These tarts are a quickie.

These bite sized pieces are irresistible. I have filled them with a delicious cream cheese filling and studded them with a seedless red grape. You can use a slice of your favourite fruit. They look gorgeous and tastes heavenly. Similarly you can also stuff them with a savoury filling topped with cheese and they are perfect for a large gatherings. In no time they will vanish from the platter!

In my next post I will display how to decorate your cute pastry shells with savoury fillings and will give you more ideas about it. You can be creative and innovative with whatever things you have at home and sometimes surprise yourself. They are a lovely surprise treat to make as a gift for someone special.

Bye for now,

The Baker,

Chica's Bakehouse

Blackforest Gateaux - It rules!

The first time I heard the story of Black Forest Gateaux was when I was a Patisserie student. Before that I have vivid memories of cutting the cake on my birthdays during my childhood. I remember fighting with my elder brother to have the biggest piece of the cake or eating all the cherries from the cake, though I succeeded very few times.

This cake is nothing but layers of chocolate sponge sandwiched with fresh cream & cherries. The top is then covered with extra whipped cream & chocolate shavings and cherries again. The description of the cake did not attract me much; it’s the story behind this cake which I loved the most.

As its name implies, Black Forest Cake comes from the Black Forest region of Germany. The first written recipe for this very popular cake appeared in 1934, and there are many theories as to its origin. It is said that some believe its name 'Schwarzwalder Kirsch Torte' is a tribute to the Kirsch (cherry distillate) flavour that is prominent in this dessert. (Kirsch is made in over 14,000 distilleries in the region.) Others say that the chocolate shavings that garnish the cake remind people of the thick trees that grow in the Black Forest. The cake's origin, itself, also has a few stories. There is also a story that a Dutchman who settled in the region invented the cake. Although we may never know its true origin, let’s agree to the fact that this cake shouts of celebration, of party and of happiness.

To begin this cake we first make a chocolate genoise sponge. This is a very light sponge which absorbs the flavour of rum or kirsch that we use to soak it. It is a bit tricky to make genoise sponge but like we always say practice makes it perfect. The eggs and sugar are beaten until thick. As the batter thickens it becomes lighter and paler in colour. The difference between a regular sponge cake and a genoise is that we add warm melted butter which makes the genoise light and gives a nice flavour. The melted butter needs to be warm, or else it will spoil the batter. Once baked this sponge can be stored in the fridge for a few days. I prefer to use a fresh sponge each time.

For icing the cake we need to use generous amount of whipped cream. Cherries can be used in canned form or fresh. I prefer using canned in the layers so that the cherry syrup can be used for soaking the sponge along with cherry liqueur or rum. When in season fresh cherries are always the best options for the decorating part. I keep the stem of the cherries so that they are easier to pick and also look gorgeous. Chocolate curls can be made well in advance and they come really handy on the day of final dressing up of the cake.

I am off to enjoying the cake now and bake something more, see you soon again!

Your Baker,
Chica's Bakehouse

Sables - The French Butter Cookies

This week I tried a new recipe of a French Butter cookie. It is called as “Sables” in French which means sand. Why it is called sand because of its texture which is crumbly and like shortbread, a bit smooth as well. It has a beautiful shiny appearance. These cookies are one of my favourites. They are just so perfect with tea or on its own.

It is said that Sables were first made in Caen, France in the 17^th century. A hotel called Mere Poulard made it very popular. At the Poilane Bakery in Paris, France they are known as Punitions (The Punishment). This is because, as the story goes, they were thought to be so good that they'd call the kids to come in to the hotel La Mere Poulard after school for a snack and the cookies were offered to them as a little 'punishment'.  They'd say, "Come and get your punishment!” I would say what a beautiful treat for a punishment, who wouldn’t want it?

It is very important to use the best quality butter for this recipe. Best quality does not necessarily mean the most expensive. There are varieties of butters available in the market. With a bit of experiments and knowledge one can choose the best quality butter.
These cookies can be made in any fancy shape and finally you can sandwich them with chocolate ganache or preserves of your choice. They can also be flavoured with different nuts and zests. If you keep them plain it is easier to store in a box without worrying about its icing getting messed up.

I choose this hand shaped cookie cutter to make these super attractive, tasty, delicious sables. I really enjoyed making these cookies and they are so easy to make. I think one should really give it a go before experimenting something complex.

I am trying to inculcate the habit of blogging regularly and hopefully I will come up with something exciting soon.

Yours Baker,
Chica's Bakehouse

Pain Ordinaire

Today’s write up is inspired by my previous travels to France. I remember my first bread which I made on the second day of my bakery course in 1998. I was all excited with the thought of making a bread from scratch. We were been asked to keep the prepared yeast ferment in the warm place. I kept mine under the table and had completely forgotten about it. It rested there until the bread was baked. Obviously, the final product turned out to be a hard rock brick shape loaf. This was my first encounter with bread making. It was a disaster.

The best bread is built in stages and has many levels. According to Peter Reinhart of California, USA., who is an expert in bread making and has written many books on breads says that bread relies on 80/20 principle, that is 80 % technique and 20% equipment. This is what I learned in my baking classes.There are many factors which are responsible during the process of bread making, kitchen temperature, kneading method, internal dough temperature, relative humidity and water absorption capacity of the flour which contributes to the entire process of fermentation.

I have tried making several varieties of breads at home and I would like to share my experience of those breads. During my travels to France, I visited many local Boulangeries (Bakery) and tried some of it.The breads there were simply stunning. One such is the French Baguette. French breads are also called as “pain ordinaire” in France. Baguette is about 150 years old which has become the universal symbol of bread. It is characterised by thin, crackly crust, diagonal cuts across the top that “ bloom” open into crusty flaps. The colour varies from  light golden brown to deep golden brown.The coloring is due to caramelization of sugars.

Mini Baguette: A baguette, meaning 'little rod', is the famous long French bread. Baguettes always seem to feature in old French movies, sticking out of bicycle baskets. It is a very common site in France to see people walking on the streets carrying their baguette in one hand. The French say that it is best to buy two baguettes because one always gets half eaten on the way home.

Although the French have tried to standardize the baguette, they have not succeeded. There are too many shapes, forms, flours and customs throughout France to get everyone to comply. For example, the Parisian baguette weighs 250 grams but the baguette sold in Marseilles weighs just 200 grams.

Traditional baguette in France they make open faced sandwiches with these kind of breads, with lettuce, cheese, ham etc. It is very simple, but the quality of bread makes it exceptional.

Bread making excites me as much as making cakes and pastries. I shall be covering more about it in my forthcoming posts.

Ciao,
The Baker
@ Chica's Bakehouse

Baking equipments: Old & New

Baking is a canvas. You take ingredients and make something beautiful out of it. To make this something beautiful you need to have the right equipments too. If you are passionate about baking you will find yourself buying for those "must-have-tins", "fun-to-have", "can’t-live-without-items" to add to your already existing stock. Like a kid in the candy store I have always enjoyed shopping for baking tools and equipments. Sometimes just browsing through the shelves you get to learn about the new arrivals in the market.

In recent times there have been enormous changes in the cake equipments. The materials, sizes and shapes have all changed. If you are the one who bakes regularly and happen to buy pans often you would have noticed these changes. The worst part is that many of these pans come with sloping edges. I am still very much fond of all the old pans. The cakes baked in them, brown evenly and cook through evenly. It will be a good idea to buy old pans from the garage sale, or if any of your friends do want to give it away.

These days there are many varieties of pans in the market. Some of them come in non stick coating. With my experience I would say it needs proper greasing. If you go by the word "non-stick", your baked item is sure going to stick at the bottom if you have not greased it. Hence greasing the pan by margarine or cooking-oil spray is very important. Silicone pans are now available and the cakes simply fall out of the tins. But these cakes do not get those golden brown crusts.

I do take good care of my baking equipments after every use by scraping, washing, wiping etc. so that they last longer. If you’re buying new, invest in good quality, heavy duty cookie and baking sheets. Heavy duty baking sheets retain heat better, won’t warp or buckle when heated, and should last a lifetime. The light colour encourages even baking and are less likely to burn. Dark metals sheets and non-stick tend to brown baked goods faster.

General Kitchen tools for baking:

The following is a list of equipment that is good to have on hand for baking.

1. Standard cup measures. The sets are readily available.

2. Standard measuring spoons.

3. Sieve for sifting flour or sugar.

4. Set of bowls. I have Borosil bowls which I have had for years and they are still going well.

5. Wooden spoons for mixing.

6. Rubber spatula for mixing light batters.

7. Rubber & Steel Scraper. I like to have both.

8. Palate knife for decorating cakes, or mixing butter cream icing.

9. Whisk for whipping & beating cream.

10. Wire racks to cool on. Preferably the racks marked into squares are better than those with just bars because they have more support.

11. Pair of hand gloves for the oven.

12. Grater with coarse and fine teeth for chocolates or rinds from citrus fruits.

13. Glazing brushes.

Then there are things which are nice to have but not necessary.

1. Dough mixer recently gifted to us by a friend. It is very useful especially while making bread dough. It saves a whole lot of energy.

2. Electric hand beater also gifted to me by my former colleagues. It is very handy.

3. An icing bag with nozzles.

Depending on your need you can have fancy cake pans in different shapes and sizes, cookie cutters of different shapes and sizes, muffin trays. And last and the most important is your oven. There are many different types of ovens and energy sources, so it is important that you know your oven well to produce successful baked products.

The orders for my bakery, Chica's Bakehouse, has been keeping me busy hence couldn't update my blog in last week. Having said that I strive to keep you folks updated as and when possible.

See you soon.

The Baker
Chica's Bakehouse

Cup Cakes - I am crazy about them!

Most of the cakes we know are butter cakes of some sort. One uses butter in their recipes so that it holds the flavour of the cake, keep the texture and moisture and ultimately the cake will cut smoothly & easily.  It will also keep the cake well for a few days, but most important of all it makes the cake tastes just wonderful.

As a Baker one has to develop an understanding of ingredients so that there is a balance in the recipe and the end result is the product which not only tastes good but also feels good and looks good. Today I would like to present you with few cup cakes which are the results of a balanced approach of all ingredients in the recipe.

Orange Muffins
Sometimes making a small change in the way one makes the batter can result in a product with massive difference. To prove this, I used freshly squeezed orange juice and not the canned juices from the supermarket and it made a huge difference to the taste of the muffin. I could feel the “real” concentrated orange in the muffin. This was cost effective too, in a sense, I used the zest of the orange. These delicious orange muffins are excellent accompaniment with High Teas and have a shelf life of 2-3 days in refrigerator.

Orange muffins sprinkled with icing sugar

Macadamia cup cakes

Macadamia nuts are my favourite when it comes to baking. They are commonly found in NZ in many recipes. When they are used in cakes and buns, it enhances its crunchiness. These nuts are a good substitute for almonds or cashew nuts.

Nutty Cupcakes

Raspberry Coconut Cup cakes

These I call them as a cousin of Madeleine. These are rolled in raspberry jam and then in long threaded coconut. They are moist and sweet. They bring back my childhood memories. All of you must have had a desiccated coconut dressed cake at some point of your childhood.

Coconut Cupcakes

Rum Cup cakes

Alcohol is one of the most discussed topic amongst people of all age groups. Well of course I am a baker and not a bartender hence I had to make sure that I use the alcohol in proportion. Therefore I am sure these rum cakes won’t make you drunk but you would certainly enjoy the subtle flavour of rum.

We don’t serve rum but we do serve you rum cup cakes

This was just the introduction of my Cup cake series. I will be back soon with more cup cakes with other variations. Ciao!

The First Step

A fresh new year with a fresh new start!

New Development is always exciting and I have worked refining, testing and improving our already existing set of recipes. So I thought it was high time to share the love and compile a list of our favourites so you can indulge into some lip smacking baked goodies straight from the oven into your mouth. It's easier than you think I must say.

Here are few cookies that I made yesterday. I think they are quick, easy and always so comforting & delicious. Trying to stick to my goal of eating healthy, I decided to add more nutritive value to these by addition of rolled oats and brown sugar.

ANZAC Cookies: I thought it was a good idea to start with a cookie which is associated with this country since the time of World War I. It stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Cookies on a parchment paper just before getting baked

It has been claimed that these cookies were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and they kept well during naval transportation. These are very popular even now in New Zealand. Due to their military connection they are made on ANZAC Day and sold as a fund raising item.

Baked ANZAC cookies

These are really good, very crunchy and nutritious. You can carry them with you on long tours or for camping as they have good shelf life.

I absolutely adore making cookies. I can make one each day of the year. I mean 365 varieties is not a bad idea.

Gingersnap Cookies: I have had heard them for years but never had a chance to bake them myself. Anyone who is interested in baking is interested in knowing more. I was browsing through some recipes and found this one. It turned out fantastic, you have to believe me. The cakey-cookie dough is flavoured with spices, a little bit of brown sugar, a little bit of butter and molasses.

Gingersnap cookies are very flavourful

Chocolate Orange Biscuits: The combination of chocolate and orange is just magical. I never thought it would make such divine tasty biscuits. When it comes to chocolate one can use chocolate chips, chocolate drops, chocolate bits or even broken chocolate slabs. I prefer using chocolate drops, which do not melt easily during baking and tastes even better after they are baked.

Chocolate & Orange Biscuits

I am pleased to say that all the above recipes turned out to be good products as per my expectations. I am sure that these cookies looks yummy to you, so what are you waiting for? 

So folks make that move and give us a buzz to secure your share of those yummy cookies.

Well this is it for now, I will be back soon with another round of delicious baked goods. 

Reshma

The Baker

Chica's Bakehouse