Almond, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Yesterday was a public holiday around here with schools and stores closed and a day off work, so we decided to visit the breathtakingly beautiful City of Maastricht in the Netherlands. We have paid many visits to this City and I do not think that we will ever tire of spending time there.

The day before we left, I decided to bake two kinds of Biscotti and today, I am posting the recipe for one of them, our new favorite, namely Almond, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Biscotti. Last time we were in the Netherlands, I caught a glance at a very similar recipe which we tremendously enjoyed and I decided to re-create it. In our house, these Biscotti that are studded with two kinds of nuts and dark chocolate, now go by the name of the “Dutch Biscotti".  Therefore, it seemed fitting to take them along for a quick photo session along the Mass river. The Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. It has a total length of 925 km (575 mi). One of the many cities that borders the Maas is Maastricht.

These crunchy Italian biscuits or cookies were traditionally made with hazelnut and aniseed. But nowadays they are often flavored with a wide variety of nuts and lemon or orange rind or different kinds of chocolate and all sorts of dried fruits. They are hard and crunchy because they are twice-cooked ("bis" is the Italian word for "twice" and "cotti" for "cooked"). This makes them ideal for dipping into dessert wine or coffee, as a delectable after dinner treat. But they are equally good with some tea or just on their own. Recipes for Biscotti date back as far as the 13th century in Italy.

Almond, Hazelnut and Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients for the Biscotti

• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) whole almonds 
• 50 grams (1.7 ounces) whole hazelnuts
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) dark chocolate of your choice (I use Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa solids)
• 125 grams ( 4.4 ounces) AP (plain) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• one pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla sugar 
• 125 grams (4.4 ounces) powdered sugar
• 25 grams (0.8 ounce/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 egg (L), free range or organic if possible

Preparation of the Hazelnuts and Almonds
(you can skip these steps if you have almonds and hazelnuts that are already blanched)

1. Place the almonds in a pot of boiling water, boil for about one minute, carefully pour them through a sieve, place them on a kitchen towel and squeeze the almonds out of their skins. 
2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don't worry about skins that don't come off) and cool completely.

Preparation of the Cookies

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (unbleached if possible or use Silpat baking mats).
2. Chop the chocolate into chunks (this is best done using a serrated knife).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, powdered sugar, and vanilla sugar until well combined.
4. Add the butter and egg and stir all the ingredients together until the mixture is well combined and begins to comes together as a dough.
5. Add the whole almonds, hazelnuts and chocolate chunks and using your hands knead the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
6. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
7. Wrap each dough piece in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for abut thirty minutes and up to a day.
8. When you are ready to bake the Biscotti, pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), take the dough pieces out of the fridge and dust your work surface with some more flour. Then shape the dough into two fat logs.
9. Transfer the two logs of the dough to your prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the logs have doubled in size. 
10. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, place on a cooling rack and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
11. Reduce your oven temperature to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit).
12. When the logs have cooled but are still warm, carefully transfer them to a cutting board and slice each about 1 cm (½ inches) thick, you should cut on the diagonal, using a very sharp knife.
13. Place each Biscotti slice onto a baking sheet or onto cooling racks that you place onto the baking sheets thereby allowing for the hot air to circulate around each Biscotti cookie slice and return the baking sheet to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp, golden-brown and cooked through. 
14. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.
15. Place them in cookie tins, they keep well for up to one month.

Twice-baked, these sophisticated Italian-style crunchy Almond, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Biscotti are not only a perfect foodie gift, but are just the thing to accompany a silky dessert or a strong espresso.

Buon Appetito! - Eet smakelijk!

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Hazelnut Cream - Schokoladenbisquit-Kuchen mit Haselnusscreme

Today´s cake is a delightful little Chocolate Sponge Cake with Hazelnut Cream (Schokoladenbisquit-Kuchen mit Haselnusscreme). Sandwiched between two layers of a light chocolate sponge cake is a delicious hazelnut cream. The cake is baked in two small cake pans and is just the right cake to serve to your guests in the afternoon on a lovely day in May while sitting in the garden.

Whether chocolate, lemon or vanilla, sponge cakes can be made using either the creaming method (such as with this cake), the whisking method or by adding the cake ingredients to the batter in stages. For sponge cakes such as this one, flour, eggs, fat and sugar are combined and baked to form a light, porous cake, often with two layers separated by a sweet filling. The light chocolate cake layers of my cake pair perfectly with the creamy hazelnut filling and there is some added crunch from the coarsely chopped hazelnuts.

For the classic creaming method that I used here, butter and sugar are beaten together until pale, light and fluffy and then you gradually introduce the eggs, and finally carefully fold in the flour. This method is often used to make classic sponge cakes and fruit cakes.

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Hazelnut Cream

(Schokoladen-Bisquitkuchen mit Haselnusscreme)

Ingredients for the Cake

185 grams (6½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
185 grams (6½ oz) superfine (caster) sugar
4 eggs (M), organic or free range if possible
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
150 grams (5 oz) self-raising flour *
25 grams (1 oz) cocoa powder (I use Dutch process)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp milk (room temperature)

* Self-raising flour is widely available in Dutch and UK supermarkets. Outside these countries and the US, it is not commonly used. Self-raising flour will not keep for very long. The baking powder absorbs moisture from the air, which reacts with other ingredients in the flour, affecting its ability to rise.If you do not have self-raising flour, combine plain flour with baking powder and salt, or add raising agents (such baking powder or use bicarbonate of soda) separately in your recipe.

Ingredients for the Hazelnut Cream

100 grams (4 oz) cream cheese
25 grams (1 oz) unsalted butter, softened
50 grams (2 oz) hazelnut spread
100 grams (4 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
40 grams (1½ oz) hazelnuts, coarsley chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder (I use Dutch process)

Equipment needed

two 18 cm (7 inch) round cake pans, lined with unbleached parchment paper (I use springform pans but you can also use baking pans without a removeable bottom)

Preparation of the Sponge Cake

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla a little at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. 
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold gently into the butter mixture.
5. Add the milk to bring the batter to a soft consistency. NOTE: the batter should not be too thick or it will be too difficult to spread evenly in the baking pans.
6. Divide the chocolate batter evenly between the two baking pans and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. 
7. Leave the cakes to cool in their pans on cooling racks for 5 minutes then turn them out onto two wire racks to cool completely.

Preparation of the Hazelnut Cream

1. Using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter and hazelnut spread. 
2. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. 
3. Fold in the coarsely chopped hazelnuts.

Assembly of the Cake

1. To assemble the cake, put the least favored cake, whichever it is, on to a plate or stand, and spread generously with the hazelnut cream, then add the second cake, flat-side down. NOTE: using a serrated knife, you could also cut off the top of one of the cakes to make it more flat (this will become the "bottom layer" of your cake).
2. Top with the other cake layer and dust the cake with cocoa powder before serving.
3. Devour.

This is a delightful light chocolate cake with a nice hazelnut chocolate filling that is not too sweet - just perfect to accompany that afternoon cup of tea or coffee!

Who knows this rather old-fashioned cake might become the unsung hero of our teatime repertoire - so why not give this recipe a try!

FFwD: Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution Day 2013

Today is May 17th also known as Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution Day 2013 – which has been so aptly been described as “ a global day of action aimed to inspire people to get cooking (or baking) and champion better food skills for people of all ages”.

For the French Friday with Dorie group that means the assignment for today is a so-called "cook´s choice", meaning that the participants were free to choose one of the recipes from “Around my French Table” and, in line with this year’s theme for Food Revolution Day, to “Cook it. Share it. Live it".

It seems that last week was like a food revolution week – there were four birthday celebrations and so much food and cake to be a prepared, cooked and shared. Our oldest daughter did not even hesitate one moment when asked what she wanted to eat for her birthday, like a real Dorista child that she has become over the course of the last year and a half, she wanted Poulet diable from Around my French Table and for dessert it was Boca Negra from Baking with Julia.

But I also wanted to prepare something that would mirror my personal motto of  “Jamie meets Dorie” ….

….so I baked mini versions of Marie-Hélène´s Apple Cake form pages 432-33 from Around my French Table. This cake has become a staple at our house and I have baked it so many times that I know the (easy) recipe by heart - this moist and delicious apple cake reminds us of other European cakes that we all love so much and it seemed just so fitting to prepare it for Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution Day today.

Some of the mini apple cakes were enjoyed at home. Along with vanilla and chocolate muffins, some were donated to a bake sale for a very worthy cause at one of schools of my kids.

The idea behind Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution is wonderful, who would not agree that we should all be happy healthy eaters! And it was fun participating this year!

To see what marvelous celebrations my fellow Doristas prepared  for Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution Day 2013, please do click here.

Cakes & Buns & All Things Fun!

(Jamie Oliver)

Sources:

• "Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals" by Jamie Oliver (available at www.amazon.com)
• "Jamie at Home" by Jamie Oliver (available at www.amazon.com)
• Cakestand by Jamie Oliver manufactured by Merison (available at www.merison.nl)
• Breakfast board from the "Stay Calm and Carry On" series (available at www.english-shop.com)

Tarte Flambée Sucrée with Apples and Cinnamon Sugar - Süsser Flammkuchen mit Äpfeln und Zimt-Zucker

Today I am featuring a dessert version of the traditional Alsatian “tarte flambée","flammekueche” or "Flammkuchen". This sweet variety is a nice change to the savory version and once you have prepared the yeast dough, the tart is such a cinch to put together, allowing you to serve it “à la minute” to family and friends. And because of the cinnamon and the pure vanilla sugar that are part of the topping, this tart will smell irresistible while baking. You should enjoy this wonderful dessert tart while it is still warm. And if you feel that you should add a little bit something before you serve it, a bit of crème fraîche mixed together with some powdered sugar would be very nice but really, this tart is best eaten warm with nothing but a light dusting of powdered sugar.

At the country fair that we visited last weekend, you could enjoy fresh traditional tarte flambée as well as a sweet variety which served as the inspiration for my version of this delightful Tarte Flambée Sucrée with Apples and Cinnamon Sugar today.

Ingredients for the Dough
(the other half of the dough that you put in the fridge overnight – see yesterday´s post)

Ingredients for the Topping

• 2 medium sized Granny Smith Apples, sliced very thinly (I left the peel on)
• 200 grams (7 ounces) crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla sugar (I use homemade vanilla sugar)
• some powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Preparation of the Topping

1. Take the second half of the dough out of the fridge and let come to room temperature.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. Place the dough onto a floured work surface. 
4. Roll the dough out thinly into a round about 30 cm (12 inches) and put on a floured baking sheet or place in a baking pan (I used my vintage pie baking pan). You can also use a pizza stone if you happen to own one.
5. Spread the dough with the crème fraîche (if the crème fraîche is too thick, you can add a bit of milk and stir until you have a more spreadable consistency). 
6. Half two Granny Smith apples, core and slice very thinly.
7. Arrange the apples slices in a decorative pattern on top of the crème fraîche.
8. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar with the cinnamon and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the apple slices.
9. Bake until the crust of the tart is firm and browned at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Transfer the tart to a wooden board. 
11. Dust with a bit of powdered sugar (optional).
12. Cut into wedges and serve at once. NOTE: if you serve it very hot it is best to do so on a flat wooden board so it can easily be cut up.

This is a tarte flambée that is delicious as dessert but you could enjoy it on its own, any time of day, really. Since the Granny Smith apples that I used are not too sweet, this tart has just the right balance of sweetness from the cinnamon sugar and tartness from the apples and the crème fraîche.

If you prefer it more sweet, you could choose a different kind of apple, increase the sugar or drizzle a bit of honey over the top of the baked tart.

Thick and delicious crème fraîche is a must for baking any type of tarte flambée, be it savory or sweet. It is the French version of sour cream (saure Sahne) and it is twice as rich and twice as thick. The best crème fraîche comes from a strictly controlled area of Normandy called Isigny-sur-Mer. It is manufactured from pasteurised cows' milk to which a lactic bacteria culture has been added. This thickens the cream and gives it a distinctive sharp flavor.

If you have trouble finding that ingredient, you can make your own. To make crème fraîche, combine one cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons buttermilk, stir, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, or until it has become very thick. If you refrigerate it, it will become even thicker.

Tarte Flambée with Asparagus and Prosciutto - Flammkuchen mit Spargel und Prosciutto

Tarte flambée is the Alsatian version of the Italian Pizza. Traditionally, it is cooked quickly at very high temperature in a wood-fired oven and takes its name from the fact that the edge of the dough often caught fire in the intense heat of the oven. 

Depending on the region, this tart can be called in Alsatian "flammekueche", in German "Flammkuchen", or in French "tarte flambée".

The tarte flambée, consists of a thin bread base, either round or rectangular, that is typically topped with fromage blanc or crème fraîche, lardoons and onions - all popular ingredients in Alsatian cuisine. 

There are many variations of the original recipe and there are really no limits as to what can be added as a topping. For example you could add smoked bacon and reblochon or gruyère cheese or maybe red onions and pancetta. For today I chose a seasonal springtime topping of white and green asparagus and some delicious Italian Prosciutto.

In Germany asparagus still is a distinctly seasonal product. Just as apples mark the fall season, nothing epitomizes spring quite like the revered white stalk (green asparagus is still quite uncommon around here).

Ingredients for the Dough

(please note that the dough makes enough for two tarts - the second half will be turned into a sweet dessert tarte flambée tomorrow)

• 160 ml (2/3 cup)  warm water
• 1 package (2 ½ tsp) active dry yeast
• ½ tsp sugar
• 315 grams (2 cups) bread flour, plus some more for dusting 
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus some more for oiling
• some sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for the Topping

• 250 grams (8.8 ounces) fresh white asparagus (try to choose thin stalks)
• 250 grams (8.8 ounces) gfresh green asparagus (try to choose thin stalks)
• 200 grams (7 ounces) crème fraîche or fromage blanc
• some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 150 grams (5.2 ounces) Prosciutto, very thinly sliced

Preparation of the Dough

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Then add the flour, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
3. Stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Pull the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times, then form into a ball.
5. Oil a second bowl, put the dough ball in the bowl, and turn to coat it with oil.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free area.
7. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about an hour or an hour and a half.

Preparation of the Topping

1. While the dough is rising, prepare the asparagus. First, completely peel the white asparagus with a swivel vegetable peeler. White asparagus is peeled downwards starting just below the tip. Then for the green asparagus just peel the lower stalks to avoid any woody strings and chop off the bottom of all stalks, green and white.
2. Then pre-cook the white asparagus for about eight to ten minutes (depending on the thickness of the stalks) in boiling, salted water and the green asparagus for about four minutes. Drain the asparagus on paper towels. NOTE: there is a special steamer which is supposed to help cook the asparagus as gently as possible, preserving more of its flavor. When using a normal pan, a good trick is to tie the stalks together using kitchen twine. The cooking water may be flavored beforehand by adding some butter, salt, a pinch of sugar and the stems and peel left over from peeling.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
4. Once the dough has risen, place it onto a floured work surface.
5. Roll the dough out thinly into a rectangular shape and transfer it onto a floured baking sheet (you can the other half of the dough for the dessert - please see tomorrow´s post).
6. Spread the dough with the crème fraîche, followed by the white and green asparagus, making sure to go all the way to the edge with all the ingredients. Season well with some salt and black pepper and a bit of olive oil.
7. Bake until the crust of the tart is firm and browned at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Transfer the tart to a wooden board, garnish with the slices of Prosciutto, a bit more olive oil and some more salt and pepper to taste.
9. Cut into wedges and serve at once.

This is a tarte flambée with the most quintessentail spring vegetables you can find around here, asparagus. It is delicious and pretty and can be eaten on its own or with a spring salad alongside. Since asparagus season officially ends on June 24th here, I always make sure to prepare as many dishes with this fabulous healthy vegetables as I can.

Just remember when buying asparagus, that freshness is the key to the perfect flavor and texture. Gourmets know that it tastes best "picked in the morning, eaten at midday". Make sure the stems are firm, crisp and plump, and have the characteristic velvety sheen. The tips should be intact and firm. If you don't intend to cook them right away, wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and store in the refrigerator's crisper.

The other half of the dough can be kept in the fridge for tomorrow´s dessert version of a Tarte flambée with a delightful topping of fresh apples, cinammon and sugar.

FFwD: Coupétade aux Fraises

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Coupétade, a traditional French dessert that can be described best as a cross between French Toast and old-fashioned Bread and Butter Pudding. For some extra deliciousness my version of Dorie´s recipe contains small pieces of fresh strawberries baked into the custard,  instead of dried fruits such as raisins or other dried fruit, hence the name, Coupétade aux Fraises.

For this rich dessert you can use just about any type of plain bread that you like, of course homemade brioche would be the first choice but it can also be made with any other type of fresh bakery loaf. If you wanted to add dried fruits to the custard anyways you could even use a loaf of bread that is already studded with some dried fruits such as raisins.

Like many of the best desserts, this Coupétade  is not the type of dessert that can be thrown together at the very last minute, as you do need some day-old bread as well as some additions to the custard or some toppings such as fresh fruit.

Since it was Father´s Day in Germany yesterday, we enjoyed individual servings for dessert with a light dusting of powdered sugar as well as more fresh strawberries on the side.

To make the Coupétade, the first step is to prepare French Toast with your bread of choice. There is a 14th-century German recipe for French Toast under the name of "Arme Ritter" which literally translated means “poor knights” because it was a dish prepared with ingredients that were readily available at the time and when thrown together they made a satisfying meal for the knights returning to their castle after battle.

The second step in this recipe involves preparing a simple custard as is usual for most Bread and Butter Pudding recipes – a combination of milk, sugar, eggs, and pure vanilla extract all mixed together and poured straight over the French Toast that you previously layered in a well butter baking dish. Since I added the seeds from one vanilla bean to the mix as well as some heavy cream and a pinch of sea salt, the custard got a fabulous taste boost.

Dorie recommends baking the pudding in a bain marie for a smoother- textured custard – it keeps the temperature more uniform and it is easy enough to do with a roasting pan, and it does give a softer, silkier set to the finished dish.

This ultrarich French version of a Bread and Butter Pudding seems perfect for dessert or brunch.

To see how the other Doristas fared with this recipe, please do click here.

Bonne Fête des Mères! – Happy Mothers Day! – Alles Gute zum Muttertag!

TwD: Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes

Today´s recipe for the Tuesdays with Dorie group are Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes. The recipe for these pretty little spring cakes was contributed by baker and culinary artist Johanne Killeen. I made these tiny cakes as per the recipe and they were absolutely gorgeous, so moist and delicious with an incredible light crumb!

The recipe for these delicious Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes is a two step process. First,  you will have to make a classic butter cake, using all purpose (plain) flour, baking powder, some fine salt (I always use fine sea salt), thick crème fraîche, unsalted butter, fresh eggs and pure vanilla extract (I used homemade vanilla sugar).

Second,  you need to make the caramel topping by using brown sugar (I used light brown sugar), a bit of bourbon (I used French Cognac), more unsalted butter and chopped nuts (I used natural almonds) and for the fruit layer you will, of course, need fresh local rhubarb that can be found everywhere around here at this time of year. As I mentioned in my April post  when I featured a Rhubarb Almond Bundt, the slightly tart rhubarb and the sweet almonds go very well together - quite a delicious taste combination.

To bake these small tea cakes, you start by spooning the hot caramel with the chopped nuts into the bottom of the buttered and floured baking molds, then you add a layer of chopped fresh rhubarb and top the fruit layer with the cake batter, filling your molds almost to the rim.

The mini cakes bake until they are puffed, golden brown, and just starting to pull from the sides of the molds, about 20 minutes. Turn them out on a rack to cool only slightly, then turn them upside down while still warm because otherwise you will not be able to unmold them as the caramel will stick to the molds when cooled. And while they are best eaten warm from the oven, they may be stored and re-heated a bit just before enjoying them.

This recipe was enough for eight mini cakes – I used my brand new mini cake molds from England for these small cakes plus two baby cakes - I used mini pie dishes for these. So, I ended up with ten servings, perfect.

These gorgeous Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes are an indulgent treat and perfect for that afternoon tea. We enjoyed them while they were still warm from the oven with no adornments but they would certainly be nice with a bit of really good vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream or even better some clotted cream. I will be making these again for sure!

To see how the other Doristas fared with this recipe, please do click here.

The recipe can be found at Erin´s blog – When in Doubt…Leave it at 35o - "Thank you very much for hosting today´s recipe"!