CREME CARAMEL

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

2 eggs

Pinch salt

For the caramel: 

1/2 cup sugar

For the custard:

Heat the oven to 325°F. Heat the cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (you'll see small bubbles on the sides of the pan). Split the vanilla bean in half, if using, and scrape the seeds into the cream. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the sugar into the egg yolks and eggs. Slowly whisk the hot cream/milk into the sugar/yolk mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract, if using.

For the caramel:

Arrange six 6-oz. ramekins in a baking dish with deep sides and set aside. Put remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a clean saucepan. Carefully add just enough water to dissolve the sugar, and set the pot over high heat.

After a few minutes, the mixture will come to a furious boil; several minutes later, as more water evaporates, it will boil more viscously, and finally it will start to color. Swirl the pan around to even out the caramelization. Once the sugar has started to caramelize, watch it carefully. It takes just seconds for caramel to go from great to burnt.

When the caramel is an even dark brown, carefully pour it into the ramekins. Caramel at this stage is over 300°F, so be extremely careful when handling it. Divide it evenly so that each ramekin is covered with a thin layer of dark brown caramel.

To bake:

Pour the custard into the caramel-lined ramekins, fill the baking dish with water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and cover the dish with foil. Bake until just set, 25 to 50 min. Remember to start checking early; baking time will depend on the thickness and depth of your ramekins and baking dish. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and let the ramekins cool in the water bath. Remove, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

 Run a thin knife around the edge of the custard and invert onto a dessert plate, scraping any caramel from the ramekin onto the custard.

variations

Espresso custard 

Omit the vanilla. Crush 1/2 cup espresso beans into coarse pieces, add to the cream/milk, and heat to a simmer. Remove from the heat; infuse for 5 min. Strain and proceed.

Ginger custard 

Omit the vanilla. Cut a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger into very thin slices, add to the cream/milk, and heat to a simmer. Remove from the heat; infuse for 15 to 20 min. Strain, bring back to a simmer, and proceed.

from : www.finecooking.com

APRICOT DANISH

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 50 Min
Original recipe yield 1 10x15 inch jellyroll pan

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 (15 ounce) can apricot halves, drained
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons water
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Set aside 1/2 cup of the dry cake mix.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs and sour cream. Stir in the package of cake mix. Batter will be lumpy. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, make 15 wells in the batter, 3 rows of 5. In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese and milk until fluffy. Place one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each well. Place 1 apricot half, cut side up, onto each blob of cream cheese.
In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of reserved cake mix with the butter. stir in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the slivered almonds, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the Danish.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. To make the glaze, stir together the confectioners' sugar and water until smooth, adding another teaspoon of water if necessary. Drizzle over the Danish when cool.

source allrecipes.com

MIX FRUITS DANISH

Serves: makes 30 Danish pastries Prep: 24 min
Cook: 20 min


Ingredients

625g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
12g Salt
75g caster sugar
20g dried yeast
500g chilled Butter
10 Apples, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
4 mangoes, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 pineapple, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
4-5 tbsp apricot jam

Method

1. Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in about 500ml of warm water, until the dough becomes pliable. The amount of water required may vary slightly according to the absorbency of the flour. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead well until it feels elastic. Return the dough to the bowl and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

2. Return the chilled dough to the floured work surface and roll into a rectangular shape measuring 60 x 30cm.

3. Flatten the butter into a rectangle about 1cm thick and lay it over two-thirds of the dough. Fold the remaining one-third of the dough over the buttered dough. You will be left with one third of buttered dough. Fold this over so that the dough is in 3 layers. Return the dough to the fridge to chill for a further hour.

4. Scatter some more flour over the work surface and roll out the dough to the same sized rectangle as before. Repeat the folding process, one side on top of the other, and place the dough back in the fridge for another hour.

5. Repeat this process another 2 times before wrapping the dough in cling film and leaving it to rest over night in the fridge.

6. Roll the dough out to approximately 5mm thick. Then cut 13cm squares from the dough (the dough may be frozen at this stage if not all of it is used).

7. Fold the corners of each square into the middle so you have a parcel, place each one onto a parchment lined baking sheet and leave to rise for about 2 hours in a warm atmosphere.

8. While the Danish are rising, place the apples in a saucepan over a medium heat and add 50 ml of water. Cook for about 7 minutes (you will only need all of the apples if you make all the mixture). Remove the pan from the heat; add the mango and pineapple cubes and leave to cool. Set the oven to 200°C/gas 6.

9. When the pastries have risen, spoon 2 generous tablespoons of the apple mixture into the middle of each of the squares.

10. Brush the exposed parts of the Danish pastries with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pastries from the oven and brush with the warmed apricot jam.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Use a good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bar.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Preparation
Place 2 cups milk in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well. Gradually add half of hot milk to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until melted.

Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill.

APPLE PIE

This is a fresh apple cake with walnuts and buttery brown sugar crumb topping.
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups chopped apples, such as Rome Beauty
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla
Brown sugar topping, below
Preparation:

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. Beat eggs; add sugar and oil and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in sifted dry ingredients. Fold in apples, walnuts, and vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Pour topping over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool, loosen sides, invert on a plate, then invert on another plate, topping-side up.
Topping

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Combine topping ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a full boil and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over cake right out of the oven.

PROFITEROL

Profiteroles with Raspberry Sorbet And Chocolate Sauce Ingredients
CREAM PUFF PASTRY 1 pt Raspberry sorbet 1
1 c Water 250 mL CHOCOLATE SAUCE
2 tb Sugar 25 mL 6 oz Bittersweet or semisweet
1/3 c Butter; cut into small 2 tb Cocoa 25 mL
; pieces 75 mL 3 tb Corn syrup 45 mL
1 c All-purpose flour 250 mL 1/2 c Milk or water 125 mL
4 Eggs 4 1 ts Pure vanilla extract 5 mL
FILLING
Instructions for Profiteroles with Raspberry Sorbet And Chocolate Sauce
For the cream puffs place water, sugar and butter in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour all at once, stirring constantly. Dough should come together into a ball. Return to heat and cook, stirring batter against the bottom of the pan to dry it out. When a thin film forms on the bottom, remove from heat. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool 5 minutes. Add eggs to batter, one at a time, until each egg is incorporated. Pipe or spoon batter into 24 small mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and browned. (Check after 15 minutes and lower heat if necessary.) Cool. Remove caps, pull out any unbaked dough, and fill with tiny scoops of sorbet. Replace caps. Freeze. For the sauce, combine chopped chocolate, cocoa, corn syrup and water in a saucepan and heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when smooth and stir in vanilla. Place 3 puffs on a plate and drizzle with sauce.

PANNA COTTA

Panna Cotta literally translates as "cooked cream" in Italian. These softly set and creamy Italian puddings are so silky-smooth they slip down beautifully at the end of a meal. Perfect served with fresh berries or fruits according to the season. They are also perfect for dinner parties because they can be made a day or two in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to be served.


Panna Cotta

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin (approx. 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream*
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh berries, gently washed, drained, and sweetened to taste**
6 sprigs fresh mint

*Half & half, buttermilk, whole milk, and/or sour cream may be substituted for part of the cream.

**Any assortment of fresh, seasonal fruit may be served with panna cotta, but berries are especially nice. To use other ripe, soft fruits, such as cherries, peaches or apricots, just remove the stones and peels as necessary and cut them into thin slices or bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup milk; let stand until the gelatin is softened, about 5 minutes.

In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream and sugar. Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean. If using a vanilla bean, slice the bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds into cream (add whole bean to cream for additional flavor). Bring cream just to a simmer (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved; remove from heat and remove vanilla bean pod. Add the softened gelatin mixture and whisk to completely dissolve the gelatin.

Strain hot cream mixture into a large glass measuring cup with a pouring spout; pour into ramekins or custard cups. NOTE: Don't skip the straining step as it removes any bits of undissolved gelatin and insures a nice smooth dessert. Also, don't let the cream mixture cool before straining. If using a vanilla bean, lightly swirl the cream to distribute the seeds evenly. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

To unmold and serve, carefully dip bottom of each ramekin in a baking pan of hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin to loosen it from the inside of the bowl. Wipe the outside of the mold dry and place on individual chilled serving plate (topside down). Invert the custard onto the plate and carefully lift off ramekin (shake gently to release). Garnish with berries or fruit of your choice. See Topping Variations below.

Makes 4 to 6 servings (depending on size of the custard cups).

Topping Variations:

Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar
2 (1-pint) baskets strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss strawberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Spoon strawberries over and around the panna cotta and serve.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

In a small saucepan simmer orange juice, fresh or frozen cranberries, and sugar, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are softened, about 7 minutes. In a blender, puree mixture until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour sauce through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and discard solids. Cool sauce. Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Spoon Cranberry-Orange Sauce over and around the panna cotta and serve.

Blueberry Sauce
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar. Stir and cook until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a slow boil; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar.

In a food processor or blender, add blueberries and process until a chunky puree. Add blueberries puree into the hot syrup. Cover and refrigerator until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, spoon Cranberry-Orange Sauce over and around the panna cotta and serve.