Paris Pastry Club: A collection of cakes, tarts, pastries and other indulgent recipes (8 page)
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Authors: Fanny Zanotti
Tags: #ebook
GOUGÈRES,
WITH A SIDE
OF RED WINE
Gougères are my favourite comfort food. Gooey pockets of cheese begging to be eaten with fingers and a large glass of red wine. I’ve called this a dinner many many times. I make the choux paste to the sound of my favourite music, and while the gougères are baking, red wine gets poured. These are always eaten, still piping hot, with a book in one hand and a glass in the other.
Serves 4
125 g (4 oz) whole milk
50 g (1¾ oz) butter
2 teaspoons ground paprika
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
75 g (2½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 eggs
1 egg, beaten for eggwash
60 g (2 oz) Gruyère, Parmesan, mature Cheddar,
or any other hard cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) and lightly butter a baking tray.
Bring the milk, butter, spices and salt to a rolling boil in a saucepan over low heat (the butter needs to be fully melted before the milk boils). Take the pan off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir well until combined. Return to the heat and mix with a wooden spoon until a thin crust appears at the bottom of the pan. This shows that the dough is dry enough. It should not be sticky.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl and leave to cool for 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with the wooden spoon after each addition until fully incorporated.
Fold in half of the grated cheese while still warm and transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 12 mm (½ in) nozzle.
Pipe the gougères in lines onto the baking tray and brush with eggwash, making sure to smooth the tops. Dip a fork into the eggwash and score the top of each choux. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
Turn off the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the choux are puffed but still light in colour. Turn the oven back on to 180°C (350°F), with the oven door held slightly open with the handle of a wooden spoon, and bake for a further 10–15 minutes or until golden-brown.
Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and eat your way through your favourite TV series with a side of red wine.
There is not much to say about crème brûlée that hasn’t already been said. It’s creamy, it’s delicious, it’s understated. Even more so, in fact, when it’s turned into a lonesome pleasure. One ramekin. One spoon. One crisp caramelised crust. I can’t promise it will change your life. But I can tell you for sure that it will make you feel better.
Serves 1
100 g (3½ oz) whipping cream
seeds from ½ vanilla pod
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
demerara sugar, extra, to caramelise
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Boil a kettle of water.
Bring the cream and vanilla seeds to the boil in a small pan over a medium heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a small bowl. When the milk has boiled, slowly pour it over the egg mixture, whisking as you go. Scoop off any froth with a large spoon and pour the mixture into a small ramekin.
Place the ramekin in a deep baking tray and pour in hot water so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Bake for 40 minutes, or until set yet still very slightly wobbly in the centre.
Carefully lift the ramekin from the water-bath and leave to cool at room temperature for a few minutes. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with a thin coating of demerara sugar and burn with a blow torch or place under a hot grill for a few minutes until the sugar turns into caramel.
Crack the caramel crust with a spoon and feel happy.
One of my favourite dinners, of the eat-alone kind, is a bowlful of potatoes, pan-fried until golden and crispy, with plenty of garlic and a sprinkle of salt. Yes, plenty of garlic, more than any boy could take. Even a French one.
At times, I like to turn my garlic addiction into bread. Not only because I find the process of making bread almost magic – kneading a rough dough into a smooth ball, watching it grow like a bubbly monster, smelling its wonderful aromas as it bakes – but also because I can’t resist the doughy pockets that burst with roast garlic cloves. It promises all kinds of magic, especially with a bowl of soup or a simple
oeuf à la coque
(boiled egg).
Makes 1 loaf of bread
FOR THE DOUGH STARTER
100 g (3½ oz) strong flour
120 g (4 oz) water
10 g (½ oz) fresh yeast
(or 1 teaspoon dried yeast)
FOR THE ROAST GARLIC
2 garlic heads
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE BREAD
50 g (1¾ oz) water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
150 g (5 oz) strong flour
extra-virgin olive oil, extra
Combine the flour, water and yeast in a large bowl to make the starter for the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and leave to prove for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut the tops off the garlic heads and drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap each head in foil and bake for around 30 minutes.
Leave to cool, then squeeze the cloves from the heads trying not to break them too much. Set aside while you get on with the bread.
Whisk the water, olive oil and salt into the starter mix. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Turn out onto a clean, lightly oiled surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Generously oil a large baking tray and stretch the dough into a 15 x 20 cm (6 x 8 in) rectangle. Sprinkle the garlic cloves on the right-hand side. Fold in half widthways, pressing down to seal the ends. Prove for 1 hour. Stretch again into a 15 x 20 cm (6 x 8 in) rectangle and prove for another hour. Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F).
Sprinkle a little water over the dough and bake for 30 minutes or until golden-brown. Allow to cool a little before eating.
These cookies have been a favourite for years now. Chewy and chocolatey they will remind you of brownies (in a cookie kind of way, that is). I love to munch on them while they are still warm or serve them sandwiched with ice-cream. Trust me, they’ll make your fingers and your mouth happy.
Makes 12 cookies
100 g (3½ oz) dark chocolate,
chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon butter
90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
75 g (2½ oz) light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Stir the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water until melted. Set aside to cool down slightly while you get on with the rest.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Beat the egg and sugar in a separate bowl for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy, then gently fold into the melted chocolate. Working quickly, tip the flour mixture in and mix well with a wooden spoon.
The dough will feel quite sticky and soft but you should be able to roll it with your hands into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should still be soft and their tops will be cracked. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
