Four Steps for Ready-Made Desserts for the Entire Summer

June 30, 2011 by 2 Comments

 

A two-layers tart; usually not used with fruit fillings

Hi, I am back. I trust every body is doing fine and you all enjoyed some great fruit tarts for the weekend?

So lets continue with our tarts preparation.

I like desserts that are easy to prepare, but not if it is on the account of quality or taste. That is why I am spending more time than usual on tarts (and I will continue with this topic through a few more posts). I’d like you to understand and appreciate this form of desserts; it is the most misunderstood baked dessert.

There is no need to buy those ready-made, mud-tasting pie crusts from the freezer section of the supermarket, when all you need is maybe 4-5 ingredients, a food processor, bowls, rolling-pin, a saucepan, a strainer, foil and parchment papers and a radio to put on your favorite music so that you can roll the dough to the rhythm of the music.

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How to Read Recipes for Baking

May 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A copy of the recipe I used for baking my sweet-bread. Please follow it to the letter for a great sweet-bread

Hi. Thanks for stopping by. I am still waiting for questions, because I enjoy explaining things, teaching, and in general helping people to create baking goods from scratch. There is no comparison between store-bought pastries and the one you creat in your kitchen (even if it is not perfect). So what are you waiting for?  There is no such thing as a “stupid” question (some answers maybe stupid, but it is only me who does the answering and I already forgave myself). I hope you will do the same.

Alternatively, you could share with us your latest masterpiece.

Won the Coveted Award of the Worst Looking Brownie in the West; No. 2 (Silver Award) for being the Best Useless International Cake, 2010

I am sure you are questioning the reason(s) for separating the recipes for baking and cooking.  In addition, you are puzzled by the title, because you are reading recipes for years and did not think there is a need to be educated about how to read them.

I do not blame you for being a cynic because I was at your place not so long ago.  If you are anything like me, you do not want to feel stupid or exposing yourself to be vulnerable, so you do not ask questions in public.  You will make every effort to find the answers to your secret questions by reading, by surfing on the Internet and perhaps even through consulting with a limited number of close friends. If none of these methods deliver results, then you just “file” the question.

Before I continue, I’d like to tell you that if you see a beautiful photograph of a cake in a cookbook that looks as if it wants to leap off the page right into your mouth, most likely, it was created by a person that asked a lot of questions and read and tested plenty of recipes.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

December 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

NUMBER THREE ON OUR LIST IS: NORMAN LOVE’S CHOCOLATES

Norman Love's Jewels

The Artisan:

Following completion of his training in the art of pastry in France, Norman Love joined numerous luxury resorts in the US, including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton as executive pastry chef. Norman has been recognized by many of the industry leaders as a chef with impeccable skills and one of the most talented chefs of his generation. Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazine named him one of the country’s top 10 pastry chefs in 1996 and 1997.  His work has been celebrated by publications such as Art Culinaire, Pastry & Baking, USA Today, Robb Report, InStyle and Entrepreneur magazines. He is also a contributing author to four books including “Baking with Julia.”

He founded his confection-making venture in 2001 in Fort Myers, Florida with the aim to introduce his customers to the finest  chocolate products created with the freshest and most innovative ingredients.  I believe we all agree that he succeeded. in 2009, Norman received the honor as one of the “Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America” by Dessert Magazine. Norman believes that dark chocolate is the next red wine (and I second it)  and he wants to be a front runner in the trend. So far, he is on his way.

The Chocolates:


Opening a box of Norman Love confections is like opening a box of edible jewels. Each shiny bonbon should be savored and appreciated. To tell you the truth, following opening the spectacular box I ordered, I did not want to touch the content. I just wanted to bath my eyes in these beauties and enjoy the view.  However, that may not be the greatest idea, because chocolates need to be savored through one’s palate (although, the visual appeal is important, as well). However, I believe, that there is such a thing as over-stimulation of the eye appeal and if  the mouth-feel does not match the sight sensation, the disappointment can be explosive. Now, let me assure you that nothing exploded following a taste testing; but in his case that is not the greatest thing either, because I was waiting for that wonderful explosion of the elements that makeup a great ganache. To be fair, it occurred following some of the chocolates and in those cases the explosion was dangerously passionate.

The Venezuelan dark is definitely up there. I did not expect anything less than that from a Criolo-based ganache, once it came in touch with the warmth of my mouth. There was a slight competition for a similar effect from the spicy hot chocolate ganache that is infused with jalapeno pepper and although the combination worked perfectly, the Criolo won handily. Passion fruit is my weakness because it is such a great fruit to be combined with a good quality chocolate. The tartness of the fruit and the sweetness (or bittersweetness) of the chocolate, is a marriage made in heaven. So, it definitely works well in the appropriately named heart-shaped confection, but I am still trying to understand the reason(s) Norman decided to paint the heart yellow. On the other hand, let me take it back; I understand that the color helps to identify the content, (in this case the passion fruit), but if you only have one heart-shaped chocolate in the dark group, do you really need to identify the “passion fruit?” The chocolate has a nice floral aroma, it is light and gentle on the palate, has a great silky-smooth finish and a citrus-honey-like aftertaste. The ratio of fruit puree to chocolate is just perfect in this beautiful heart.The most interesting and unique chocolate in the dark group is the Rum Cake. Since I like anything that soaked in rum, I found this chocolate to be a pleasant teaser on my palate but would prefer the use of either milk or dark chocolate ganache; the white chocolate overpowers the rum and not in a good way.

There are quite a few wonderful creations in the milk chocolate group, including the Tahitian Caramel, the Pistachio with tart Cherries and the Peanut  Butter Banana. The bursting of the caramel center in my mouth from the Tahitian Caramel was a wonderful surprise; it is perfectly blended with the milk chocolate flavor-wise, as well as texture-wise, but in this case the oozing caramel center is the star. The Peanut Butter with the banana is a well harmonized flavorful creation. I love the appearance of the Pistachio with the tart Cherries – the bonbon has a great green luster, representing the pistachio, and a touch of a maroon-colored “ribbon” representing the cherries. There is also a kind of “sophistication” in the taste of this chocolate; and the tart cherries just add a little playfulness.

I saved the best for last. More recently, Norman launched a special group of dark chocolates that he named them “BLACK”. It contains 5-pieces of ultra-premium single-origin intensely dark chocolates made with cocoa beans from some of the finest growing regions in the world. (Dominican Republic, Ecuador,  Bolivia, Venezuela, and Madagascar). The visual appearance of these chocolates is just stunning. The color coordination, the shape, the design and the originality of these extraordinary chocolates is beyond words – it is the ultimate achievement of an artist that knows no limit to a work of art. These chocolates are the true testament to Norman’s extraordinary artistic creativity.  Then, once you bite into one of these beauties, (irrespective of the region from where they originate) you arrived to chocolate heaven. Although, my favorite is still the Maracaibo Clasificado made from Criolo cocoa from Venezuela, I can honestly tell you that if you like intense dark chocolate you will not be disappointed following tasting any of these gems.

In conclusion, Norman Love and his team are uniquely talented artists that create magical products with their brush, hand and artistic talent. Just look at these photos! They use only the purest ingredients in their ganache (i.e. butter, nuts, fruit purees, spices and flavors) and enrobe it in the finest quality of chocolates (they mostly use Felchlin’s, coverture, a top quality swiss chocolate producer), without any preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Norman Love's Chocolates

Where to buy it:

It is worth a trip to Florida, from any location in the US: 11380 Lindbergh Blvd Fort Myers, FL 33913. but if that is not possible, you should definitely order some through the internet. http://www.normanloveconfections.com. You’ll be glad you did. And please send me your comments.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP 10 CHOCOLATIERS

December 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment

CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH CHOCOLATES

THE EIGHT CHOCOLATIER: CHRISTOPHER ELBOW CHOCOLATES

The Artisan:

Christopher Elbow began perfecting his chocolate-making skills while working as a Pastry Chef in Kansas City and that is where he started his own chocolate company. His passion for working with chocolate allowed him to be highly creative. His hand-painted sparkling jewels are not only one of the best work of art (excluding Norman Love’s work, of course), but most carry well-balanced flavors, ingredients in perfect harmony and aroma that can fill a dance hall. He worked with such famous TV chefs, as Emeril Lagasse and he is featured in many print publications, including Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, InStyle and Oprah.

The Chocolates:

Chef Elbow’s use of Vietnamese cinnamon, rosemary with a hint of caramel, or sparkling bubbly flecked with shimmering gold are just phenomenal. We could not stop eating them until we realized that the box is empty.

I must add, however, that not every piece is “perfect”; we did find some misses, but from such a large selection of uniquely flavored bonbons, he is allowed to have a few that may not be to our liking. For instance, in the Rum Raisin chocolate, the rum overpowered the entire product and we did not think that Mango was the right fruit to be used with caramel; he high acidity of this fruit altered the taste of the caramel, and not in a good way. On the other hand the crunchy caramelized hazelnut filling with the smooth, creamy milk chocolate shell was just delightful and the Raspberry, with a layer of the pate and the dark ganache are divine.  The Venezuelan Spice where dark chocolate center spiced with chile and enrobed in a thick dark chocolate shell and the Orange Pekoe Tea with aromas that infiltrated our entire surroundings are both complemented the overall presentation. At first, the Venezuelan spice tastes like the regular dark chocolate ganache; rich and velvety, however as it slowly melts away on the front of your tongue, you can feel the spice catching up to you as it leaves a fiery kick on your palate. You must try the Champagne bonbon if you want celebrate the season by washing down the combination of milk and dark chocolates with the bubbly. The Cappuccino tastes as if you are sipping a nice cup of coffee accompanied with a piece of smooth milk chocolate.

We believe, however, that seven caramel-based creations of the total of 25, creates  an imbalance in their otherwise unique and tasty inventory.  I love a well-made caramel but if it is nearly one-third of the choices it reduces the selection options. I addition, some of the caramels are either too sweet or the caramel a bit overdone which accentuates the bitterness of the bittersweet. I don’t want to give the impression that Chef’s Elbow creations are anything other than top of the line but requires a careful selection.

Since I taste (and create) many chocolates, my critical palate has a couple of cons but please keep in mind that everyone has their own preferences and tastes  and to enjoy these chocolates requires a fairly sophisticated palate.  I also like to make my doctors unhappy, because I believe in all those reports about the beneficial effects of dark chocolates, they don’t.

Chocolatiers at Chef Elbow’s level work with top ingredients (for those who keep track, he uses El Rey couverture). We just don’t know what technique creates this kind of palate magic.

How to order:

It is a good idea to visit their website: http://www.elbowchocolates.com/shop_online and review your options (even if you live nearby). Every chocolate piece is a work of art and they presenting them in their gift box. They also sell chocolate bars, (actually 17 different variations), drinking chocolate in a tin and chocolate coffee.

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