Islands in the sky, food & travel

(Version française en cours) Just a quick post because these blueberry cruffins are a must try !  Who has tried them?  Holy mother of croissants, why have I not known about these sooner? Not gonna lie, I have a breadmaker so making them was fairly easy, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind.   Here's what you'll need: 1 cup (150 g) flour 1 cup (150 g) cake flour 1 tsp dry yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water 1/3 (80 ml) cup warm milk 1 egg  1/3 cup (30 g)sugar 1/2 cup (100 g) softened butter + 1/4 cup softened butter for filling Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Prepare muffin tins with parchment paper or use silicone cups. Dissolve yeast in slightly warm water, mind you, not hot, so you don't kill the active ingredient.  Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add dissolved yeast, milk, beaten egg, dry ingredients, then softened butter, and knead about 5-7 minutes.  Allow to rise, about 1 hour.  Deflate dough, knead into a ball, and divide into 4 pieces.  Roll flat

(Version française plus bas) How about a time-honored treat, easy as pie, with an eye-catching chocolate layer? Millionaire shortbread seems to have originated from Scotland, although also a beloved treat throughout England, Australia, New Zealand.., its name conjuring luxury or richness (not Ferraris, the Riviera, stock market, etc.). As I live in France, I did tweak it a bit, since there are two ubiquitous things in our baking here: almond flour and whipping cream, which are not in the original recipe.  Why change a perfect recipe, you say?  Well, I believe the almond flour gives you a crumbly yet not dry shortbread, and the cream gives you a softer chocolate layer you can softly chew into, not hard and dry at all. Here is what you'll need: Crust 150 g of butter, softened 180 g of flour (or gluten-free blend with xanthan gum) 50 g sugar 30 g of almond powder 30 g of cornstarch Dash of sea salt Filling 50 g butter 80 g light brown sugar  397 g can condensed milk 1 teaspoon vanilla

(Version française en cours...) We love to add slices of roasts to our ramen, soups, salads, pasta, sandwiches... you name it.  Truth be told, chashu, or grilled or braised pork belly, does take a few steps and patience to cook, but with a good size of meat, it can last the week even if you live with wolves, I mean, fairly hungry people like me. This is how I make chashu, inspired from Marion's Kitchen (you will need some cooking string to tie up the roll). I love her recipes, watch her website for how to tie the roll. Ingredients 1.2-1.5 k of pork belly, not too fatty, season with salt and pepper, 5-spice and roll with fresh basil, parsley tucked inside. Braising liquid 1 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup sake 1/3 cup mirin 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 4 garlic cloves  5-6 slices fresh ginger 1-1/2 cups of water If you have them star anise, cinnamon stick, laurel leaves, leeks Roll up the pork with string. In a frying pan, sear the sides of the pork to get a golden color, about 2-3

(Version française plus bas) This is such a classic French pastry, I think you probably learn to make these as a child in France, resulting in many memories, mess, triumphs, disasters, a mouthful or all of the above.  Honestly, they’re quite fun to make.  Best of all, the taste is phenomenal, I mean who can resist that winning combination of strawberries and cream? Since it's not strawberry season, I created a version with strawberries I'd frozen, as well as gluten-free fingers and coconut milk for the bavarois cream.  For a bit of history, initially an English invention, the charlotte was invented back in the early 19th century, in honor of Queen Victoria's grandmother, princess Charlotte.  It was revisited by a French pastry chef, Antonin Carême, who modified the English version with ladyfingers and a bavarois cream, instead of brioche and cream. It is fairly easy to make, especially if you use ready-made ladyfingers.  But either way, it's a crowd-pleaser. Here is wha

(Version française plus bas...) Hi everyone ! Today, let's celebrate love ;) Don't know what to do with fallen rose petals, voilà ! Not gonna lie, I used a poppy red gel to get this color. I had a little challenge with besties with what to bake today and these two won : Red Velvet and Devil's Food cupcakes. I've been messing around with Red Velvet cakes for years and truth be told, sometimes they're flavorful, good and moist and sometimes... not so much. So I added yogurt, took out the vinegar, got some food coloring gel and there you go, all three check! You can use the same batter for both cupcake flavors, which you devil, sorry, divide into two bowls, to make both flavors. How about a Devil's Food one?  A creamy, semi-sweet chocolate and coffee flavor. Here's what you'll need : Batter :  150 g oil 150 g plain yogurt 1 egg 160 g flour (or gluten-free flour blend with xanthum gum) 150 g sugar (add a tablespoon or two if you like it sweeter) 2 tablespoon

Lemon almond bars are a go-to comfort food in winter or summer, or whenever you are craving that mix of tart and sweet.  Here is a recipe that originates from Galicia, Spain, a lovely balance of lemon tanginess and chewy almond texture, the tarta de Santiago.  Sometimes you find this type of torte as you hike the Saint James of Compostela relic route, flavored sometimes with orange or cinnamon, powdered sugar on top with the imprint of a cross or seashell, or simply with lemon rind or slivers of almonds. I've stuck to lemon and almond, a truly delicious combination. This little wonder is dense and moist yet light, sweet yet tangy.  And gluten-free for those who would prefer. Everything to tempt every family member around here...  Also, they travel well, I packed some on my first trip abroad in over year of pandemic shutdown to... Spain.  They were delicious and surreal while flying in a plane, and flying, btw, what a truly original concept...! Crust 120 g of flour (or gluten-free

(Version française en cours...) Here's another take on chocolate silk pie, with my (ubiquitous and) favorite mango to add a bit of tanginess, texture and sweetness.  Trust me on this one, the combination is surprising and delicious, something to wake up the taste buds. Crust ingredients: 150 g of flour (or gluten-free blend with xantham gum)  75 g of butter  2 tablespoons of cream (or yogurt) 2 tablespoons of sugar 1-2 tablespoons of milk Pinch of salt  Knead butter and flour together, add cream or yogurt, sugar, salt and milk.  Knead about 2 minutes, adding a teaspoon or more of flour or milk to get a non-sticky texture (does not stick to finger).  Cover and cool in refrigerator for 2 hours.  Preheat oven 175°C (350° F).  Line a pan (or individual tart cups) with parchment paper, roll the dough on a flat surface and roll out to an 1/8 inch thickness, then transfer to pan, cutting out excess dough.  With a fork, pierce the surface, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden (smal