Enter a patisserie in Paris, and you will most likely see chouquettes -- little choux pastry puffs. Chouquettes have no pastry cream or whipped heavy cream filling like a larger choux pastry Cream Puff will have; just a little sprinkling of very large, coarse sugar. And, chouquettes are addictive! They are not sold individually, but by the bagful, making it easy to pop one of these little gems into your mouth while wandering the city. And why don't I make them at home more often? It took me less than an hour from start to finish. Easy-peasy -- and the most basic of ingredients. Valentine's Day idea: Make the chouquettes, minus the coarse sugar sprinkles on top; after cooling, slice in half and sandwich a small scoop of ice cream between. Place several on a plate or in a bowl and drizzle with chocolate sauce; Voilà, you've got Profiteroles! They never fail to impress. an adapted recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini • 50 g of unsalted butter • 125 ml water • 2 tablespoons sugar • pinch of salt • 75 g flour • 2 large eggs • chouquette sugar or pearl sugar 1. Combine the butter, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and pour all of the flour in at once. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and forms a ball. 2. Place the dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for 2 minutes. Turn on the mixer and add the eggs, one by one, until totally incorporated. You will have a nice, shiny dough. 3. You can either drop small mounds of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, or use a *pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip. You should have enough dough for approximately 25 chouquettes. Make sure to leave space between the dough mounds so they have room to expand and puff up. Take the coarse sugar and press grains gently onto the top of each chouquette. 4. Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 425˚F oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375˚ and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. You want the chouquettes to be golden brown and dry. Take out of the oven and pierce each chouquette with a toothpick or wooden skewer to let the steam escape. * A finger dipped in cold water can smooth the top of the choux mounds before baking. TAKE a LOOK:
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We're finally having some bone-chilling, cold weather. Finally. Friday I actually saw a mailman going door-to-door with his satchel, delivering mail in shorts. This is Minnesota, for goodness sakes! It should be cold in January... The weather finally turned this morning and making Cheese & Sausage-Stuffed French Toast was the perfect way to spend a lazy (cold) morning. It will take a little longer, but Chicken, Apple & Fresh Sage Sausage Patties are a healthy alternative to Brown-and-Serve-Sausages in this recipe. Either way, this stuffed French toast will make a great breakfast or brunch. Cheese & Sausage-Stuffed French Toast • 1 8-ounce package brown-and-serve sausages or Chicken, Apple & Fresh Sage Sausage Patties (recipe here) • 8-ounch loaf French or Italian bread • 6 slices Muenster or Provolone cheese • 5 large eggs • 1 cup milk • Pinch of kosher salt • Butter • Warm pure maple syrup • assorted fresh fruit 1. Prepare brown-and-serve sausages, or make Chicken, Apple & Fresh Sage Sausage Patties 2. Cut six 1 1/2-inch-thick slices from the bread. Halve each slice with a serrated knife, stopping before you have sliced all the way through the piece of bread. The slice should be hinged. Open the pocket and fill with a piece of cheese and sausages. I found I needed 1 1/2 of the chicken & apple sausage patties to fill each bread slice. 3. In a large shallow dish, beat the eggs, milk, and salt until blended. Place the filled bread slices in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides of the bread. 4. In a large (cast iron) skillet over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Cook the stuffed bread until golden brown on both sides. Add more butter if needed. 5. Remove French Toast from the pan and plate. Drizzle with warm maple syrup and serve with fresh fruit. TAKE a LOOK: It seems like forever since I've had a quiet, lazy morning in my kitchen -- experimenting and taking photos. But that's what I did today, and the result gave us an incredible Sunday lunch on the patio. Here it is, already mid-September and this was the first meal I've prepared this summer with figs! I'm always making salads with figs, grilling them, making tarts or pizzas with them. I wanted to use the figs differently today. I have to say, I think these individual Savory Fig Custards with Prosciutto Spirals were extraordinary! Figs and prosciutto... what could be better? |
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