Episode 97: Baking

Pecan Shortbread Pears
Rosemary and Black Onion Seed Wafers
Caramel Pudding with Two Sauces
Cinnamon Pear Pies
Gingerbread Cake
Caramel Sauce
Dijon Puff Pastry Crackers

PECAN SHORTBREAD PEARS
Preparation is easy

250 grams soft unsalted butter (8 ounces)
160 grams icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
20 millilitres brandy (2 small tablespoons)
400 grams plain flour (2 2/3 cups)
½ teaspoon baking powder
110 grams pecans, roasted and finely ground
42 cloves
Icing sugar for dusting

Preparation time is 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit

In a bowl, beat the softened butter with the icing sugar until combined. Then add the vanilla, the egg yolk and brandy and beat again until just combined. All this can be done in a food processor or with a hand beater. Gradually beat in the sifted flour and baking powder and crushed pecans until the mixture just comes together. Pull it together with your hand and then form walnut-sized pieces.

Place the pieces of dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and flatten the bottoms so that they become pear shaped. Press a clove into the top of each one to look like the stem of the pear. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Remove them from the oven and cool. Dust heavily with icing sugar.

Serve with any selection of summer fruit or citrus salad.

Yield: 40 small biscuits
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ROSEMARY AND BLACK ONION SEED WAFERS
Preparation is easy

85 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
60 grams cheddar, grated
110 grams plain flour (3/4 cup)
120 grams butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (5 millilitres)
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary (10 millilitres)
1 teaspoon black onion seeds (5 millilitres)

Preparation time is 30 minutes, refrigeration time 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix the two cheeses, flour, butter and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor until is resembles breadcrumbs. Add the rosemary and black onion seeds and whiz. Form the dough into a 2 centimetre thick disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the fridge for an hour.

Once rested, cut the dough into four pieces. Keep one out, return the others to the fridge. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until just a millimetre thick. Tear it into strips and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden, about 6 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven allow them to harden for a minute, then remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 40 wafers
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CARAMEL PUDDINGS WITH TWO SAUCES
Preparation is easy

125 grams butter (4 ounces)
1 1/3 cups brown sugar (10 ½ fluid ounces)
6 eggs yolks
2 egg whites
½ cup self-raising flour (3 ¼ ounces)
½ cup milk (4 fluid ounces)

For the caramel sauce:
½ cup brown sugar (3 ¼ ounces)
2 tablespoons water
60 grams butter (2 ounces)
1/3 cup cream (2 ½ fluid ounces)

For the chocolate sauce:
4 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablespoons water
2 ounces butter (60 grams)

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Beat the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Stir the flour in and add the milk.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the butter and egg mix and fill six 1-cup capacity ramekins with the mixture. Place the ramekins in a baking tray and fill with enough water to come halfway up their sides. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

To make the caramel sauce, stir together the sugar, water and butter over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Add the cream and allow the sauce to simmer until it has thickened, about 5 minutes.

For the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate with the water over a bain marie. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heating water and stir in the butter, whisking until it has all melted.

Serve the puddings in their ramekins with both sauces poured over the top.

Yield: 6 servings
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CINNAMON PEAR PIES
Preparation is easy

4 pears, peeled
1 cup sugar (200 grams)
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups water (2 pints)

For the filling:
¾ cup fine sugar (150 grams)
40 grams butter (1 ½ ounces)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup cream (6 fluid ounces)
2 eggs
1 cup ground almonds (200 grams)
¼ cup plain flour (30 grams)
½ teaspoon baking powder

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Put the pears, cinnamon sticks, sugar and water in a pan over a low heat for 15 minutes or a little more, until the pears are just soft. Set them aside to cool in their juice.

Put the sugar, butter, vanilla extract, egg yolks, butter, ground almonds, baking powder and flour into an electric mixer and beat until well combined. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the egg-flour-butter mix.

Fill four small oven-proof dishes with the mixture and put a pear on top. Press it down until it is one-third submerged. Bake for 30 minutes, until the filling is firm.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Yield: 4 servings
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GINGERBREAD CAKE
Preparation is easy

750 millilitres water (3 cups)
450 millilitres molasses (14 ½ fluid ounces)
10 grams baking soda (2 teaspoons)
225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature (71/4 ounces)
400 grams brown sugar (13 ounces)
2 large eggs
725 grams flour (1 pound, 7 ¼ ounces)
5 grams salt (1 teaspoon)
10 grams ground ginger (2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (15 millilitres)
2 pinches ground cloves
2 tablespoons baking powder (30 millilitres)

Preparation time is 40 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

Butter and flour 3 eight-inch spring forms or cake tins.

Bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the molasses and baking soda. Let cool until lukewarm.

Using the paddle and at medium speed cream the brown sugar and butter together for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs one at a time.

Sift the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves and baking powder together.

At a low speed slowly pour the dry ingredients with the water mixture into the butter and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together, make sure the sides and bottom are mixed in well. Pass batter though a sieve to remove any lumps.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove and let cool. While still slightly warm carefully remove from pans.

Serve with caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream.

Yield: 16 servings
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CARAMEL SAUCE
Preparation is easy

650 grams sugar (1 pound 5 ounces)
250 millilitres water (1 cup)
600 millilitres whipping cream (2 ½ cups)

Preparation time is 15 minutes

Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat.

Turn the heat to high and caramelize the sugar, until golden.

Remove from heat and carefully add the cream a little at a time. Add all the cream and stir over medium heat until dissolved. Pass through a sieve and let cool.

Yield: 16 servings
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DIJON PUFF PASTRY CRACKERS
Preparation is easy

1 packet puff pastry
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt (15 millilitres)

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

On a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry until it is very thin. You can use any scraps left over from other puff pastry recipes.

Once rolled, dock the pastry well all over (prick it). Mix the egg and Dijon mustard together well. Brush over the surface of the pastry and then sprinkle with the sea salt. Cut the pastry into triangles and bake on a lightly oiled baking tray until puffed and golden brown, abut 10 minutes.

Yield: 20 triangles
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Recipe Courtesy of Chef Michael Allemeier, Executive Chef at Teatro in Calgary, Alberta, Canada