Kessel´s Espresso Studio - "Wir leben Caffé"

There are quite a few coffeeshops in Bonn, Germany, but my favorite place to enjoy a delicious cup of cappuccino is “Kessel´s Espresso Studio”.

Although this is not your typical coffeeshop, one of the friendly baristas will prepare an excellent cappuccino, espresso or hot chocolate for you (with that beautiful Faema E 61 coffee machine) while you ponder your decision  whether you should go ahead and buy a few things while you are there.

The range of products includes espresso machines from a number of different manufacturers (such as Jura, Nivona, ECM, Rancilio, Vibiemme, and WMF) .

Then there it the selection of  espresso and cappuccino cups and mugs. Then there are the Italian sweets like the Baci chocolates (“Kisses”) from Perugina, Torroncini (Sicilian nougat), cookies such as Amaretti (made with ground almonds and apricot pits), Ricciarelli (Tuscan almond cookies) or Cantuccini (crunchy Tucsan specialty). And then there is, of course, the wide selection of pre-ground or whole bean coffees from coffee companies/merchants such as Illy, Segafredo, Pellini, Nannini and Ionia, to name but a few.

You can enjoy your beverage inside the Studio or while sitting an one of the comfy wooden benches outside the store.

The Studio has been operated by Frank and Bianca Kessel for about eighteen years now with an ever growing clientele and is located on the beautiful “Friedrichstrasse” – a wonderful street with a pedestrian zone lined by a number of fantastic stores that are all worth a visit (I will post about some of them in the weeks to come).

Kessel´s Espresso Studio
Friedrichstrasse 54
53117 Bonn
Germany
Phone +49 (0228) 656433
Fax     +49 (0228) 656436
E-mail: kessels-espresso-studio@t-online.de
Website: www.kessels-espresso-studio.de

Opening hours: Monday til Friday 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
                       

French Fridays with Dorie - Double Chocolate and Banana Tart

Today`s choice for the French Fridays with Dorie group is the Double Chocolate and Banana Tart. Yesterday was Fathers`  Day here as well as Ascension Day – so we all had the day off from school and from work. The decision on what to do on this beautiful sunny day was relatively quickly made – it took a lot less time than waiting for the Tart to cool and set up properly in the fridge. The Tart had to be firm enough so that I could take it along as a posh dessert for our picnic.

Finally, in the afternoon, we were all set to go (I knew that I should have prepared some of the tasks the day before). In order to make transportation easier, I prepared the Tart in a smaller tart pan with higher sides than the original recipe calls for but, otherwise, I followed the recipe as written by Dorie and inspired by the French chocolatier Christian Constant.

From the photos you might have seen that we did not have the picnic in our backyard. We had decided to visit the so-called “Landpartie” (“country outing”), a yearly four-day event where 120 exhibitors show off their artistic works and foods from around the country to about twenty thousand visitors (www.landpartie-adendorf.de). This event takes place at the Adendorf Castle which is a mere twenty minute drive from where we live.

The Adendorf Castle is a moated castle that was constructed between 1655 and 1670. It has been owned by the von  Loë family since 1829. The current owners, Georg Baron von Loë and his wife Gabriela Baroness von  Loë, are the sixth generation of this aristocratic family to live in the castle and for the last ten years have graciously agreed to welcome thousands of people to their “home” to enjoy a bit of the “castle life” for a few hours (www.burg-adendorf.de).

Once we all had a chance to admire the wonderful works and wares from the florists….

or the wine merchant…

or the broom-maker…

or the wood carver…

and have a long look at the colorful sculptures made out of glass…

or made out of metal…

And once we all had marveled at the wooden works of art…

and even at Huckleberry Finn catching a fish in the castle pond...

we could finally look for a quiet place away from all the visitors, unpack a sandwich or two and that Double Chocolate and Banana Tart. And I could ponder life in general and put together a first draft in my head of the blog post for the next day...

There is a lot of photos this time  - but I can honestly say that while taking all the pictures, I carefully carried the Tart around with me, I did not want to have it crumbling apart before being able to serve it. It is a recipe that I personally would not have chosen to make. But I did make it, it was not difficult at all. You just had to follow the instructions carefully and all of the ingredients required to prepare this tart were easy to find. All in all, it had a nice chocolatey crust and the banana flavor together with the chocolate flavor of the crust and the  dark chocolate ganache harmonized well.

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Double Chocolate Banana Tart and admire their works of art, please click here.

Giant Chocolate Birthday Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache and Flowers

For one of the two Birthday Parties last week, I chose to bake a Giant Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache. This recipe is by Lori Longbotham. I really like her recipes and I have baked quite a few from one of her books called "Luscious Lemon Desserts". 

The birthday girl loves chocolate cake and I love this recipe. Thanks to the addition of buttermilk to the dough, the cake turns out moist every time I make it. It is chocolatey without being overly sweet and I love that it is baked in a large 12 inch round springform pan. I usually decorate this cake with flowers made out of sugar but this time I chose to pick little flowers from the garden - it gave the cake exactly the flowery look it needed to match the rest of the decoration.  

Giant Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
(recipe by Lori Longbotham published in Bon Appétit Magazine,  June 2009)

Ingredients for the Cake:
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup plus 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water or hot coffee
2 cups superfine sugar
3 eggs (L)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Ganache:
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
(I used "Le Coppeneur" chocolate)
1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
Flowers (for decoration – optional)








Special Equipment:

 One 12-inch round cake pan with 2-inch-high sides (preferably a springform pan)



For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-inch round cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray (or butter the pan with a soft pastry brush). Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with nonstick spray (or butter the paper with a soft pastry brush). Dust the pan with flour, tapping out any excess. Sift 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Sift the cocoa into another medium bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water or coffee over cocoa and whisk to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the butter to the egg mixture and beat until blended. Beat in the cocoa mixture. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat to blend. Then add the dry ingredients and beat on low just until blended. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a cooling rack. 

DO AHEAD: Can be made one day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

For the Ganache:

Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Carefully pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the chocolate. Let stand for a minute. Then whisk until melted and smooth. Chill the ganache until it is thickened and spreadable, about one hour.

Carefully invert the cake onto a large cake plate. Gently remove the parchment paper. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake and allow it to set for about about one hour. 

DO AHEAD: Cake can be made one day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature about one hour before decorating.

Decorate cake with flowers. 

The birthday girl and the guests were happy!

SOURCES:

• Cake platter from "DilleKamille" (http://www.dille-kamille.nl/start/)
• Chocolate from "Le Coppeneur" (www.coppeneur.de)

Tuesdays with Dorie - Pecan Sticky Buns - A Sweet Treat on a Sunny Afternoon

Today' s choice for the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group is "Pecan Sticky Buns" from the "Baking with Julia" book. The recipe was contributed by Nancy Silverton.

When I read the lenghthy recipe for the first time, I was intimated. This recipe needs some serious planning I thought. Somehow after what seems to have been a weeklong baking marathon, the last thing I wanted to do was bake some more.

Baking for two children' s birthday parties, two sets of classmates and two more celebrations was all  I could handle, or so I thought. After rereading the recipe, I decided that I needed some notes to guide me. And although the recipe seems to be rather long, I realized that it can be easily broken down into a few clear steps.

After dinner, I prepared the brioche dough and while the sponge rested, I did some ironing, then during the time the dough needed for its first rise, I watched a Skandinavian thriller ( although I love to bake I was glad that for an hour and a half I did not have to think about the dough). The last step for the day was the second rise/chilling the dough, so after I put the dough in the fridge I went to sleep. Next day I rolled out, chilled again, buttered, sprinkled filling,  rolled out again, formed the chilled dough into a log, put it into the freezer for a while and then let it rise again.

Then finally the last step, namely, baking the risen pecan buns.

After all these different steps, I just held my breath for a while hoping that the pecan buns would release easily from the baking pan and taste as good as they smelled while they baked.

The pecan buns did release nicely from the pan and when we pulled them apart, the brioche dough was buttery, flaky and just delicious.

I did freeze half the dough and baked only seven buns and that turned out to be the right decision. Two pans with pecan buns are wonderful but I believe they should be eaten the day that they are made and half the recipe was perfect for us for one day - besides I was so concerned that the pecan buns would not turn out like they should, that I bought fresh strawberries as a sort of "back- up". We ended up eating both, the pecan buns and the strawberries and so I was glad that I put half the dough in the freezer.

It is interesting that after being somewhat overwhelmed by the recipe at first,  the most difficult task was not preparing the dough but finding the pecans (finally found them at a health food store) as well as the proper baking pan. While I have way too many baking pans already, the one I did not have was a 9 inch round pan with "high sides" - none of the stores that I went to carries them and I ended up having to order a special "cheesecake pan" (round, non removeable bottom and high sides). At least, next time I bake a cheesecake, there will be no more wrapping the pan with aluminium foil.

In conclusion, I am glad that I took the time to prepare the pecan sticky buns. It was a bit of a challenge timewise but well worth the extra effort - my taste testers agreed and honestly, what could be a nicer reward for such a hectic week than sitting in the garden on a sunny late afternoon and enjoying these wonderful pecan buns while they were still a bit warm...

Today's hosts are Lynn of Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Nicole of Cookies on Fridays - a great big Thanks to our hosts!

To see how the other members of Tuesdays with Dorie prepared the Pecan Sticky Buns, please click here.

World Peace Cookies

The name of these cookies is so promising that one does not really know what to expect. It turns out that they are a sort of chocolate shortbread cookie. They are buttery, have a crumbly/sandy (“short”) texture, are a bit salty and certainly intensely chocolatey. Briefly speaking, they are delicious and I will definitely make them again.

I had been wanting to prepare these cookies for quite some time now. For my birthday a few years ago I received a copy of Dorie Greenspan's fantastic book "Baking - From my Home to Yours” (published by Houghton Mifflin in November 2006) and found the recipe for the World Peace Cookies on pages 138-139. This recipe was originally published in Dorie´s book “Paris Sweets” published by Clarkson Potter (November 2002) and the cookies were then called “Korova Cookies/Sablés Korova”(pages 6-8), the recipe being adapted from Pierre Hermé. Both books are available at www.amazon.com. But you can also find the recipe on www.epicurious.com.

Recipe for World Peace Cookies 
(Recipe by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 85% cacao)


Preparation

1. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl.

2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth but not fluffy.

3. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly).

5. Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn't come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball).

6. Divide dough in half. Place each half on sheet of plastic wrap. Form each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each in plastic; chill until firm, about 3 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

7. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.

8. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes.

9. Transfer to rack and cool.

10. Enjoy!

My entire family, adults and kids, loved the cookies.

French Fridays with Dorie - Provençal Olive Fougasse

Fougasse is an uniquely shaped French yeast bread that is popular in the south of France, in particular, in the southeast of France, namely Provence.

Who does not like to think of Provence while cooking, the mere thought of this beautiful region of France evokes images not only of endless lavender fields but also of olive trees and lemon trees and tomatoes ripening in the sunshine. And then the wonderful smell of the Provençal herbs - herbes de provence (rosemary, thyme, basil...) comes to mind.

Unfortunately, I do not live next door to an olive grove or a citrus plantation,  neither do I have the pleasure of having a lavender field in my backyard, but I did find some young olive trees and a lemon tree at one of my favorite nurseries - so when I dream of Provence whilst shaping the bread, I can still look at these photos.


Oftentimes, the fougasse is shaped like one big leaf, a wheat ear or other fanciful shape. The dough for this raised flatbread is prepared with quite a bit of good olive oil and one or more of the following ingredients, namely, pitted oil-cured green or black olives, lard fumé (smoked bacon bits), sundried tomatoes, garlic, an assortment of various herbs that are common in Provence such as rosemary and thyme and, of course, a sprinkling of good fleur de sel (sea salt).  It can also be prepared plain with just a sprinkling of that wonderful French salt.

The fougasse is usually served whole to show off its fanciful shape and so everyone at the table can tear off a piece or two or more and enjoy the bread either on its own or with some chèvre (goat cheese), tapenade (olive paste), salamis or simply a bit of fruity extra virgin olive oil.

According to Dorie's recipe you add black olives, rosemary and lemon/orange zest to the dough. Considering the sheer uncontrollable growth of herbs in my garden, I decided to do two versions of Dorie's recipe. The first recipe exactly as written, namely, with olives, rosemary and lemon zest and shaped like a leaf.

The second version with Dorie's same basic dough plus the addition of thyme instead of rosemary and chopped oil cured sundried tomatoes instead of black olives. And this time shaped a bit differently.

Everyone around the table loved the fougasse, some liked it a bit better with the black olives, the others preferred it with the sundried tomatoes...chacun à son goût - we all have our preferences.

In conclusion, Dorie's recipe is a wonderful recipe if you like to eat fougasse and I have not met a person yet who does not like to have a bit of  French bread with their lunch or dinner. It is easy to prepare in advance (which I happen to like quite a lot), and lends itself to some individual "interpretations", like different shapes and different additions to the basic dough, depending on what you have on hand and depending on what you and your family like. I should not forget to mention that the fougasse travels well and is great for bringing along to a party as a hostess gift or even to a picnic.

Bon appétit et bon week-end!

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Provencal Olive Fougasse, please click here!