Category Sweets

Canelé


CANELÉ

I stumbled across these little bundles of goodness whilest on honeymoon in Bordeaux back last year in April and have not been able to find them since. It was a few months later that I found out that they originated in Bordeaux. When finally I found a place that makes them but to my misfortune, they were made at Tivoli Road Bakery all the way over in Melbourne. I then contacted them on where I could possible get the little copper mounds as it was becoming apparent that I was going to have to make them. They then told me about a little French antique place called Lily Pond. Since getting these little copper moulds there has been no coming back! This recipe is for sweet Canelé’s.

INGREDIENTS

– 370g Milk

– 37g Butter, Plus More For Greasing

– 188g Sugar

– 115g Bread Flour

– 50g Egg Yolk

– 40g Dark Rum

– 2g Salt

This will make about 24 small pastries

METHOD

1. Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until the butter is completely melted.

2. Place sugar, flour, egg yolk, rum, and salt into an electric mixer. Mix on the slowest speed, and slowly incorporate the warm milk and butter mixture. Mix for about a minute, or until smooth. You will have a very thin batter.

3. Melt the extra butter and brush it into cold moulds. Don’t be shy with the melted butter or you will be in a world of hurt later. Canelés can stick and are very hard to clean up after trust me. I freeze my moulds so when you brush the butter in you get a nice thick coating.

4. Fill the small canelé moulds with batter until you are about 1cm from the top of the mould, about four-fifths full.

5. Bake the small canelés at 200°C for 34 minutes in a convection oven. If they are not dark in colour after 34 minutes keep an eye on them and check every 3 minutes. You want them to be a real dark brown almost burnt in colour.

6. While the canelé moulds are still hot, grab each one with a towel or oven glove and bang it upside down on aboard as soon as possible this will release the pastry.

Removing the canelés quickly their moulds is crucial for two reasons. First off, if you allow the pastry to cool down inside the mould, they will quickly crystallize and stick to the mould. This means lots of cleaning or a small container which takes forever. Secondly, they cool down quickly and this will make them develop a much thicker and crunchier crust.

7. Allow them to cool completely and enjoy 😀

Recipe adapted from the guys at ChefSteps

Roasted Pear & Crystallised Walnut Dry Ice, Ice Cream


ROASTED PEAR & CRYSTALLISED WALNUT DRY ICE, ICE CREAM

The Third Recipe I made for Omega Walnuts combines roasted pear ice cream and the previous recipe of crystallised walnuts. It got me thinking about that classic match up of pear and walnut and how I could intensify the flavours by roasting. This dish ended up being our Christmas dessert and I was quite happy to come home with an empty container. I also know that there isn’t much sugar to this recipe and I did that on purpose sometimes us adults don’t like sickly sweet treats and it made the ice cream taste even better!

INGREDIENTS

– 2 Cups Milk

– 2 Cups Heavy Cream

– 6 Ripe Pears, Peeled, Cored and Halved

– 6 Egg Yolks

– 2/3 Cup Sugar

– 1.5kg of Dry Ice

METHOD

1. Turn the oven onto 180C and roast the pears for 25 minutes or until the pears are a nice golden brown.

2. While that is happening, combine milk and cream in a saucepan on a medium-low heat until small bubbles start to appear around the edges. Remove from the heat and leave to ret for 30 minutes.

3. Once the pears are cooked blitz in a food processor until the resemble a thick sauce.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Bring the milk mixture back up to a simmer. Whisk 1 cup of the mixture into the yolk mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the milk and cream stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until you have a nice think coating on the back of the spoon. Should take around 5 minutes.

5. Once you have the frozen ice cream in step 3 of Dry Ice, this is then you add a layer of the walnuts. Then repeat

DRY ICE, ICE CREAM

1. Pour the mixture into a heat proof bowl and allow to cook either in the fridge or if you want it to cool faster in an ice bath.

2. When the mixture is cool, place a clean tea-towel onto the bench and scoop with a large spoon scoop some ice and place in the middle of the towel. Fold over the towel and using a mallet, crush the ice into small crystals. (Dry ice is extremely cold and can burn, so PLEASE USE CAUTION when using this product)

3. Pour half your mixture into the bowl of a food mixer with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer onto a medium speed. Gradually add the ice one spoonful at a time, (being careful not to let the mixture boil over, believe me it can get messy) until the liquid has become frozen then place into a airtight freezable container. Repeat this process with the remaining mixture.

4. Once you are complete place in the freezer until needed. It can keep frozen for up to 3 weeks. Then enjoy.