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Walnut Honey Tart Recipe

Walnut honey tart

Walnut tart is popular along with pecan tarts in Seoul. Honey is added as sweetener for this recipe. This is very moderately sweet and flavor of honey is not strong. You will see the flavor of walnut is dominant in this walnut tart. So, make sure to use young walnuts.

Serving: 8 persons

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Prep time: 20 min

Cooking time: 10 min for crust + 25 min for filling

Ingredient

For sweet pastry crust (pate sucree): 

500 g of sweet pastry crust (pate sucree)

Extra butter for the pan

Eggwash (a mixiture of 1 egg and 2 tablespoons water)

For filling:

2 eggs

60 g caster sugar

Pinch salt

80 ml whipping cream

70 g honey

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

30 g unsalted butter, melted

270 g walnuts, chopped

Baked crust

Method

For crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Butter the pan; set aside.

2. Roll out the tart dough and line the tart pan. Prick all over the base with a fork. Cover the base with a parchment paper and fill with baking bins. Bake for 10 minutes.* Remove the baking bins and parchment paper. Egg wash the trim and bake for another 5 minutes to dry out the base.**

3. Out of oven, let it cool completely on a wire rack. Then refrigerate the crust pan for 30 minutes.

For filling:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

In a mixing bowl, add in eggs, sugar, and salt. Stir until well combined. Then stir in whipping cream, honey, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Whisk until well combined. At last, stir in chopped walnuts.

Pour the filling in the crust in the pan.*** Bake for 25 minutes. The surface should be golden-brown and the center of the tart should be slightly wobbly. Out of oven, let cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes, then remove the tart from the pan.

Drizzle honey over the tart and serve.**** Whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is always a good idea with this tart.

Notes

* The process of cooking crust  without filling is called "blind-baking".

** The bottom of cold crust will not get crushed by the filling later.

*** Fill only 90 % of the tart pan. If not, the filling will bubble over the crust.

**** In French pasty, displaying the ingredients visibly is practiced. (i.e. the marzipan carrot on the top of carrot cake)

Walnut honey tart served with vanilla ice cream

Chestnut Cake Recipe (Gluten-free)

Chestnut Cake Recipe (Gluten-free)  

Treat yourself and your family with this luxurious cake. I just love this rich, flour-free cake. It reminds me of exquisite gateaux at a high-end Paris pastry shop.

This delicious cake is from Ardeche region of France. There are many versions of chestnut cake from this beautiful region between Lyon and Provence.

Chestnut spread itself (not chestnut puree) is used in this recipe and it has enough sugar content, so no sugar is added.

Serves 6 persons

Difficulty Level: Easy

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 40 min

Ingredients:

100 g unsalted butter at room-temperature

750 g chestnut spread

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon rum

And extra butter for brushing

For glazing:

100 g dark chocolate
20 g milk

Chestnut spread & rum

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 150 degrees C. Butter the pan and also line with a greased parchment paper. The cake is very sticky to the pan.

2. Sift corn starch and baking powder. Separate egg yolks and egg whites.

3. In a large bowl add butter and chestnut spread and mix well with a whisk. Then stir in egg yolks and vanilla extract. And add in corn starch and baking powder mixture. Whisk until well combined.

Beat egg whites until stiff and incorporate delicately with the chestnut mixture.

4. Fill the batter in the pan three fourths and bake for 40 minutes. The cake should form crust on the surface but the inside is sticky. So when you test with a wood stick, it should not come out clean.

5. Out of oven, cool the cake in the pan completely on a wire rack. Then get the cake out of the pan and remove the parchment paper carefully.

6. For glazing, melt the chocolate in bain-marie, add in milk and mix until smooth. Out of the heat, add in water and stir well. Use when the fondue is lukewarm.

Note:

Chestnut spread is very sweet itself, so don't add any sugar to glazing. If you want to enjoy the straight flavor of chestnut, skip the glaze and serve the chestnut cake with dark chocolate sauce.

Almost finished!

Soft Marble Cake

This evening, I decided to make a simple but nice and soft marble cake. Yogurt is used instead of buttermilk,to give it extra moist and to make it less fatty. It's delicious. Enjoy!

Soft Marble Cake 

Yield one 5 x 9 inch retangular cake (13 x 23cm)

Level of difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 50 minutes, it depends on the oven.
Cooling time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

200 g butter, at room temperture ( and more to butter the pan.)
260 g cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
220 g white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
125 g yogurt
20 g cocoa powder
40 ml milk

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C.). Butter the bread pan and set aside. If you use a silicon pan, you don't need to butter.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter and sugar. When well-combined, add vanilla extract and the eggs one by one and mix well all together. Then mix in yogurt.

3. In another bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.

4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just mixed.

5. In a saucepan, add in milk and cocoa powder. On a medium heat, mix well until cocoa powder is dissolved well.

6. Put the half of the whole mixture into a new bowl. Add the cocoa milk and stir until well combined.

7. In a pan, add in the white mixture and cocoa mixture alternatively. Then run a table knife through the batters in a swirling motion.

8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on your oven, until the cake tester comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan and cool the bread completely on the rack.

* Store in an air-tight bag and consume in three days.

Variations:

1. If more buttery cake is preferred, then replace yogurt with 155 ml buttermilk. (2/3 cup)
2. Add white chocolate chips to white batters and dark chocolate chips to cocoa batter to make it special.
3. Spread cocoa butter cream (creme beurre) on the top of the cake. Butter cream recipe is as below:

Butter Cream

Ingredients:

100 g butter at temperature
200 g icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk

Methods:

In a medium bowl, mix well all the ingredients.

Pumpkin Scone With Spiced Glaze

Pumpkin scone with spiced glaze




I cooked and pureed real pumpkin today.




A pumpkin scone itself is not sweet, that's why it's heavily glazed.




Pumpkin scone glazed twice




It should have light and bread-like texture. Bon appetit!

Almond Crème Tartelette (Mini Tart) Recipe

I made too many tartelettes when I did internship at Ritz Paris. It was a lot of piping and decorating mini tarts for Hemingway bars, Bar Vendôme and guest rooms.

This almond cream tartelette filling is dense and hard, which is similar to pound cake but less sugary. Enjoy these hearty small creatures during next tea time.

perfect for afternoon tea

Ingredients:

For crust:

Ready-made frozen boxed pie crust or

My French home-made sweet pie crust recipe

For almond crème filling for four 3-inch(3cm) tartelette molds:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (55g)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (64g)
1/3 cup ground almond, sifted (45g)

1 medium egg, beaten

A pinch of salt

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Granulated sugar for deco (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat in butter and confectioners' sugar until well combined.

2. Add beaten egg little by little while mixing.

3. Add ground almond gradually while folding.

4. Add in vanilla extract and salt and whisk until creamy.

5. Line the tartelette (mini pie) molds with pie crust.

6. Fill the molds with almond cream.

7. Bake at 370F (190C) for 15 minutes or until the almond creme top is cracked and golden brown.

8. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top (optional) and let cool on wire wrack.

9. Serve with heavy cream or fruit jam of your choice.

dense almond crème filling

Lemon Blueberry Pie Recipe

Here comes beautiful citron blueberry pies...

Ingredients:

For crust:
Ready-made frozen boxed pie crust or
My French home-made sweet pie crust recipe

For filling for three 3.5-inch (9cm) pie pan/dish:
9 oz blueberries (fresh or frozen) (255g)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 cup sugar (25g)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cinnamon

For garnish on top:
1 egg, beatend with 2 tsp of water for egg wash
Granulated sugar for sprinkling


Directions:

1. Mix blueberries, sugar, sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon.

2. Line pie pans with pie crust.

3. Pour the blueberry mixture into pans.

4. Cut pastry into about half inch wide strips, and make lattice top.

5. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar generously.

6. Bake 3.5-inch pie pans at 370F (190C) for about 25 minutes, or until the blueberry juices are bubbling and think and the crust is golden brown.

7. Let cool competely on wire wrack.

8. Serve with heavy cream blended with blueberries, if desired.

ready for baking now!

sugar coated lattice top..





Boiled and thickened blueberry juices





Serve with cream. Bon appetit!

Banana Cupcake Recipe, Simple & Delicious!

Banana cupcake

Want beautiful banana flavors full in your mouth? Make this simple and quick banana cupcake this afternoon! The banana flavor will fill your kitchen and your whole family will devour the entire cupcake pan as soon as it's out of oven!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (110g)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
2 medium eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (or cake flour if you prefer fluffier texture) (125g)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large very ripe banana, mashed

Just out of oven

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt and whisk vigorously until well mixed.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth.
4. Fold in flour and baking powder.
5. Finally fold in mashed banana.
6. Scoop in the batter into lined cupcake cases and baked at 350ºF (160ºC) for 17-20 minutes until golden brown.
7. Cool on wire rack.

cute cupcake without frosting

Decorate with whipped cream and/or chopped walnuts (optional)

How to store unfrosted cupcakes:

Banana cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and can be frozen in the airtight freezer bags up to 3 weeks.

Very ripe banana

decoreated with whipped cream and chopped walnuts.

For special occasions I use cream cheese icing or butter cream icing for cupcakes. But usually I make just simple whipped cream or German vegetarian whipped cream for cupcake decoration to cut the calories.

Bon appetit!