Author Archives: granellidizucchero

“As american as Apple Pie!”

Posted in Cakes by

Apple Pie

Apple pie

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

– 300g of flour

– 100g of almond meal

– 200g of butter

– 170g of granulated sugar

– 2 eggs + 1 yolk

– a pinch of salt

– lemon bark

For the filling:

– 800g of apples

– 25g of granulated sugar

– 25g of brown sugar

-1 tablespoon of lemon juice

– 1 tablespoon of cinnanon

– a pinch of salt

– 20g of butter

– 7g of flour

Apple pie

For the crust place the flour, the almond meal, the butter, the eggs, the sugar, the salt and the lemon bark in a food processor until the mixture forms a ball. Cover it with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile cut the apples into slices and put them in a bowl. Add the granulated and the brown sugar, the lemon juice, the cinnamon and the salt. Leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then place a strainer over a bowl and put the apples in it. Let the apples drain for 20 minutes. Put the obtained apple juice in a small saucepan with the butter. Place the pot over medium heath and boil for 10 minutes until you obtain a syrup. Add the caramelized syrup to the apples.

Apple pie

Take the mixture for the crust from the fridge and divide it in two parts. Put one part on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a circle and transfer it to a pie pan. Roll into a circle also the second part of the mixture.

Add the flour to the apples and blend well. Put the apples into the pie pan (over the crust) and cover the pie with the top crust. Remove any excess of pastry and with a sharp knife make a cross in the middle of the pie (to allow the steam to escape).

Preheat the oven to 200° C. Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180° C and bake for other 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170° C and finish the baking for 15 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature with some vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream.

Apple pie

Bon appétit,

Anna

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Rudolph cake pops

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Almond and cinnamon cake pops

Rudolph cake pops

Ingredients:

– 80g of butter

– 110g of granulated sugar

– 1 egg

– 135g of flour

– 1 teaspoon of baking powder

– 80ml of milk

– 60g of almond meal

– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

– Cake pops silicone mould (for 18 pieces)

Rudolph cake pops

For the chocolate coat:

– 100g of dark chocolate

– 100g of white chocolate

– Gel food coloring

Preheat the oven at 160°.

Rudolph cake pops

Beat the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is creamy.

Add the egg and continue whisking. Add the flour with the baking powder, the cinnamon and the milk. Continue mixing until you have a creamy texture. Add the almond meal and mix. Fill the buttered cake pops mould and bake for 20 minutes at 160°.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, remove form the mould and insert the stick into each cake pop.

Rudolph cake pops

Melt the dark chocolate in a bain marie. Melt also the white chocolate. Coat half of the cake pops with the dark chocolate and the other half with the white chocolate, decorate with gel food coloring and little branches.

Have a sweet Christmas time,

bon appétit

Anna

Snowflake macarons

Posted in Meringue by

Macarons au caramel au beurre salé

Snowflake macarons

Ingredients:

For the shells:

– 200g of almond meal

– 200g of powdered sugar

– 200g of caster sugar

– 146g of egg whites

– 5cl of water

– edible glitters and edible snowflake decorations

Snowflake macarons

Combine the caster sugar and the water in a saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to 118°. In the meanwhile put half of the the egg whites in a mixer bowl and whip them on medium speed to soft peaks. Pour the 118° syrup in a thin, steady stream into the whipping egg whites.

Continue whipping the meringue on medium speed until the temperature drops to 50°.

In a large bowl combine the almond meal, the caster sugar and the other half of the egg whites and mix well.

Add a small part of the meringue to the almond paste and mix gently, then add the rest of the meringue, fold and scratch the surface until the batter starts to run glossy.

Put the mixture in a pastry bag with a large tip and form small circles on parchment lined sheet pans. Allow the macarons shells to sit for 1 hour until the surface feels dry to the touch.

Preheat the oven to 150° and bake the shells for approximately 14 minutes. Cool the macarons shells on the sheet pans.

Snowflake macaronsFor the filling:

– 50g of salted butter

– 1 cl of water

– 50 g of glucose

– 125g of powdered sugar

– 10cl of heavy cream

Put the glucose and the water in a saucepan, place it over medium heat. Add the sugar and mix well until the obtention of a blond caramel. Remove from heat and add 7g of butter. Add the heavy cream slowly while continuing mixing. Put the saucepan on medium heat and add the remaining butter. Let the mixture reach 118° and then remove from heat.

Let the caramel cool down.

Use the caramel au beurre salé to fill the macaron shells.

Decorate your macarons with edible glitters and snowflakes.

Snowflake macaronsI wish you all a sweet and snowy christmas!!!!

Bon appétit,

Anna

 

Christmas whoopies

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Christmas whoopies

Ingredients (for 8 whoopies):

– 75g of dark chocolate

– 50g of butter

– 1 egg

– 90g of granulated sugar

– 110g of flour

– 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

– 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

– a pinch of salt

For the filling:

-50g of dark chocolate

– 125 ml of cream

– 2 tablespoon of chocolate chips

– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the decoration:

– Royal icing and gel food coloring

Christmas whoopies

Preheat the oven to 175° and line two baking pans with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and place them over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when melted. With an electric whisk, mix the egg and the sugar and add the melted butter and chocolate. Pass through a sieve the cocoa powder, the baking soda, the flour, the salt and add them into the egg mixture. Stir well and slowly.

Put the dough into a pastry bag with a large tip and form the whoopie pies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 9 minutes.

Christmas whoopies

For the filling put the chocolate in a bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when melted.

Whip the cream on medium speed. Add half of it in the melted chocolate, mix well but slowly and stir in the rest of the cream. Add chocolate chips and cinnamon to the mixture.

Put the cream into a pastry bag and cover the flat side of the whoopie. Top with another whoopie to assemble them.

Decorate with royal icing and gel food coloring.

Christmas whoopies

I WISH YOU ALL A SWEET CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

Your Anna

Teddy in wonderland

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Chocolate cake pops

Teddy in wonderland

Ingredients:

-75g of dark chocolate

-55g of butter

-90g of granulated white sugar

-2 eggs

-10g of cocoa powder

-45g of flour

-60g of chocolate chips or nuts

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-Cake pops silicone mould (for 18 pieces)

-1 egg white

-200 g of powdered sugar

-Food coloring

-Food decorations

Teddy in wonderland

Preheat oven to 180°.

Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when they are melted. Stir in the cocoa powder and the white granulated sugar. Next whisk in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addiction. Finally, stir in the flour, the salt and the chocolate chips (or nuts).

Teddy in wonderland

Pour into the buttered cake pops mould and bake for about 25-30 minutes at 180°.

For the frosting: whisk the egg white, add the powdered sugar and the coloring while continuing to whisk.

Dip each cake pop in the frosting and decorate them as you whish. Let the icing dry.

Teddy in wonderland

Bon appétit,

Anna

Choco garden

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Choco garden

Soufflé au chocolat

Ingredients:

– 100 g of powdered sugar

– 4 g of corn flour

– 30 g of flour

– 7 eggs (1 whole, 1 yolk and 6 egg whites)

– 60 ml of milk

– 75 ml of cream

– 75 g of dark chocolate

– 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

Choco garden

Take five 200 ml soufflé dishes, brush them with butter and tip a little cocoa powder in each dish.

To make the chocolate cream, mix 30 g of flour, 7 g of corn flour and 15 g of powdered sugar.

Put one egg yolk and a whole egg into a bowl, mix them well and add half of the flour mixture, blend, and tip in the rest of the flour mix.

Put 60 ml of milk and 15 ml of cream into a pan and bring them just to the boil, remove from the heat. Add 25 g of dark chocolate and beat until it is melted. Add to this chocolate mix the flour and yolks mixture. Cook this mixture over a low heath for 5 minutes, let it cool down and beat occasionally with a wire whisk.

Choco garden

Slowly warm 60 ml of cream to make the ganache. Just before it boils take off the heath and add 50 g of dark chocolate. Mix until it is melted and add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Allow to cool.

Heath oven to 190°. Whisk 6 egg whites with an electric whisk and sprinkle in 85 g of powdered sugar while whisking.

Mix the ganche and the chocolate cream mixture in a large bowl.

Choco garden

Add 2 tablespoons of whisked egg whites to the chocolate mixture. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, mix slowly, add another third of the whisked eggs, take care not to lose the volume and add fold in the last third.

Fill the soufflé dishes by three-quarters with the mixture and bang each dish on to the surface so the mixture fills the sides.

Bake the soufflés for 17 minutes in the preheated oven (190°).

Decore with cocoa powder and fresh flowers.

Bon appétit,

Anna

ITALIA!

Posted in Cupcakes by

Muffin basilico, mozzarella, pomodoro

Italia!

Ingredienti:

-200g farina

-3 uova

-100 ml latte

-10g lievito in polvere

-100ml olio di semi

-Parmigiano

-8 pomodori ciliegini

-1 mozzarella

-basilico

-sale

-pepe

-origano

-ricotta per decorare

Italia!

Mettete  le uova in una ciotola e sbattetele con una frusta, aggiungete del basilico tritato a pezzetti, del sale, del pepe e dell’origano e continuate a mescolare.

Versate l’olio di semi e successivamente il latte.

In un’altra ciotola unite la farina ed il lievito in polvere e versateci sopra il composto di uova continuando a mescolare per evitare che si formino dei grumi. Aggiungete al composto del Parmigiano grattuggiato, la mozzarella ed i pomodorini tagliati a cubetti.

Italia!

Versate il composto in 12 pirottini, ricoprite la parte superiore dei muffin con un pò di Parmigiano grattuggiato ed infornate a 180° per 25 minuti.

Italia!

Una volta fatti raffreddare potete guarnire i muffin con della ricotta.

I muffin “ITALIA!” sono ideali per accompagnare un aperitivo estivo … ovviamente all’italiana!! Ideali se gustati freddi o tiepidi.

Buon appetito,

Anna

Panda macarons

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For my panda…

Panda macarons

Ingredienti:

Per la base usare gli stessi ingredienti e lo stesso procedimento degli strawberry macarons senza usare però il colorante alimentare o utilizzandone uno bianco.

Per questa ricetta dovete però tenere da parte una piccola ciotolina di impasto alla quale aggiungere tre cucchiaini di cacao in polvere in modo da renderla marrone ud utlizzarla per creare le orecchie, il naso e gli occhi dei panda.

Panda macarons

Dopo aver formato i dischetti bianchi di 3 cm di diametro sulle teglie foderate di carta da forno, versare il composto di cacao in una sac à poche con bocchetta più piccola di quella di utlizzata per creare i dischetti e creare, su metà macarons le orecchiette, gli occhi ed il naso dei panda e sull’altra metà, che sarà il retro dei panda, crare un puntino che andrà a formare la coda.

Far riposare fino a che non si sarà crata una pellicina in superficie.

Infornare a 150° per 16 minuti circa.

Panda macarons

Per la ganache al cioccolato:

-80 g di cioccolato fondente

-100ml di panna

-28g di burro

Far sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria, contemporaneamente scaldare la panna in un pentolino, a fuoco lento, fino a portarla al limite del bollore. Versare la panna sul cioccolato sciolto, mescolando. Appena avrete ottenuto un composto liscio aggiungete il burro tagliato a pezzetti, mescolate fino a  che non si sarà sciolto. Riporre la ganache in frigorifero per 20 minuti.

Panda macarons

Farcite i panda con la ganache al cioccolato e riponeteli in frigorifero per 24 ore.

Panda macarons

Bon appétit,

Anna

Happy birthday Tunis!

Matchstick cookies and… a curious cat!

Posted in Cookies by

Matchstick cookies

Matchstick cookies

Ingredients:

– 250g of flour

– 125g of butter

– 100g of sugar

–  a pinch of salt

–  2 egg yolks

– lemon bark

For the decoration:

– 1 egg white

– a pinch of salt

– 130g powdered sugar

– food colouring

Matchstick cookies

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well until the cookie dough forms a ball. Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. After that, roll it out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 3 mm, then cut out 7 cm long and 1 cm wide sticks.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and put the cookies on it. Bake at 155° for 16 minutes or until the cookies reach a ligth golden colour. Let them cool down.

Matchstick cookies

In the meanwhile prepare the frosting. Whip the egg white with a pinch of salt until it forms soft peaks. While continuously whipping the whites on hig speed, slowly add  the powdered sugar and the food colouring and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Dunk the cookie tips in the coloured frosting.

Let the icing on your cookies dry for at least 2 hours.

Matchstick cookies

Bon appétit,

Anna and Benni!