Islands in the sky, food & travel

Once in a while I follow the original recipe to the book as it is just perfect.  That is the case with this crème brulée. Usually I don't like to use so many eggs (or don't have enough), or I make a vegan variety (see recipe under Sweets or Featured) but this time, I was very disciplined and stuck to the original recipe.  Very difficult exercise for me. If you must know, I usually cook crème brulée when I have remaining egg yolks after using the egg whites for other cakes (or macarons or dacquoises or mousse...).   There are so many versions of  crème brulée : flavored with lemon rind, Amaretto, orange blossom water, or with added fresh raspberries, coconut flakes, or black sesame cream... you may see those versions here in the near future... Here's the basic recipe which is fairly simple so let's get to it, quantity for 4 ramekins (double the quantity if you wish to make more) : 3 egg yolks 80 ml milk 25 cl whipping cream 60 g sugar 1/2 vanilla bean Simmer...

This is a very popular cheesecake in our house, simply because it's so creamy and everyone gets their choice of topping, so no fighting!  It's also fairly easy and fun to make.   Another way to present this is to make one regular cheesecake and one chocolate one, and create a cheesecake bar, with choices of toppings for everyone to top as they please. Let's get started, here's what you'll need :  Ingredients Crust 20 (gluten-free) graham crackers or butter cookies (about 150 g) 50 g butter Dash of teaspoon sea salt Filling 200 g cream cheese, softened 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream 80 g sugar 2 eggs, beaten 200 g semi-sweet chocolate, melted in 2 tablespoons of butter 3 sheets gelatin, softened in cold water, or agar agar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Toppings, for ex :  - 8-10 strawberries, halved (or other sliced fruit : kiwi, blueberries, cherries, mango...), simmered 2 minutes with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice - 1/4 cup pecans, choppe...

You may or may not know that I make up some of these cakes or breads as I go, sometimes the recipe a success to save and cherish and sometimes a one shot thing, never to be repeated. When they are extremely good you'll find them here.  Since it's cherry blossom season, a favorite time of mine, I wanted to add the blossoms to a cake and with a late birthday cake to make, here is the recipe of a happy success : a layered dacquoise with cherries and petals.  What I was aiming for : a several layer thick cake with thick swirls of cream on top. What I ended up with, because the white chocolate cream wasn't enough for the 4 layers, a naked cake with an entirely different light pink glaze, but oh so good! My family loves naked cakes anyway. Here's what you'll need:  Yoghurt and almond cake: 2 eggs, separated 1 plain or Greek yogurt 150 g flour (or gluten-free blend with xanthan gum) 30 g almond flour 80 g sugar 50 g butter, softened 3-4 tablespoons milk (if dough is too th...

If you can’t resist the smell of cinnamon bread baking, as well as morning raisin twists for breakfast (kind of), you must try this...  Because I try to simplify and memorize recipes, I basically used the same recipe as babkas, just changed the filling and, voilà. Here's what you'll need for the dough :  300 g flour 125 g butter, softened 30 g sugar 1-1/2 teaspoon yeast (10 g) 3 eggs Pinch of salt Filling : 1 cup raisins (I soften them by leaving 20 minutes in hot water then straining and towel drying) 1 cup cranberries (same as above) 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or vanilla) Dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons of slightly warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Beat eggs in a small bowl.  Knead flour, dissolved yeast, eggs, rest of sugar and salt in a bowl or mixer, about 5 minutes.  Once mixed, add softened butter, knead another 10 minutes.  The dough should be elastic, but not wet or sticky.  Cover the bowl with a ...