Let's Talk About Flan

Smooth, creamy, and covered in its own caramel sauce; what's not to love about flan? Flan is a dessert that for a long period of my life I knew I loved it even if I had never tried it. There is something about custard based desserts that sends my senses to the moon and back. The taste of vanilla, the smell of the caramel (which for someone like me, who does not like caramel very much, is saying something). 

No, not that flan. Silly Final Fantasy you do not fight the flan you eat it.

So what is flan? It is essentially a sweet custard that has been baked in a mold, lined with caramel, until it is set. Since pastry school I have come across three types of recipes for flan. All fairly similar but different enough that if you have difficulty with one you are sure to find another recipe that you prefer.

The first is similar to a creme anglaise, it consists of milk, eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla. This recipe is a bit more difficult than the following two but that is only because it requires you to boil the milk and then temper it in with the eggs. If you do not constantly whisk while adding the hot milk you are going to get scrambled eggs, and while scrambled eggs may be good for breakfast they have no business being in dessert. When I say constantly whisking, I mean constantly whisking. The first time I made a pastry cream on my own I thought I might be able to pour the liquid in, place the pot down then begin whisking. Nope, in those few seconds I had already prepared scrambled eggs. 

The second is a recipe I learned at work. It is similar to the first in that you need to temper the ingredients. However the difference is that instead of milk you used condensed milk and cream. You boil the cream and add it to the condensed milk and egg yolks.A little bit easier but not as easy as the following recipe.

The recipe I used most recently required absolutely no tempering at all. Before we get into the custard we must first make a caramel. This is also fairly easy once you learn what to look for. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar

Method:

1. In a small pot, over medium high heat, place about a 1/3 of the sugar. once the sides begin to liquify move the pot back and forth to distribute the liquid and add a bit more sugar.
2. Keep doing this until the sugar has melted. Do not leave it settled for too long or it will burn. Another important note about caramel to remember is that it is always darker in the pan than it actually is so it's okay if it looks a bit darker. 
3. Pour into ramekin or pan of your choosing.

See? How easy was that? You are on your way to making caramel. Now onto the worlds easiest custard recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract 
• 14 oz condensed milk
• 24 oz evaporated milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Whisk immediately after adding sugar or you will burn the yolks.
3. Add each of the milks and whisk until smooth. 
4. Pour into caramel lined ramekin or pan.
5. Drop oven to 325 F and bake in a water bath for 35-45 minutes. When it is finished the flan will still jiggle slightly but it should not look watery. 
6. Once the flan is ready remove from the oven and allow to cool before placing it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 
7. When you are ready to serve run a knife around the edge of the pan and flip onto an appropriate plate. 

This was made using the first method.

Then that's it! You have delicious flan! The great thing about flan is that it is so easy and delicious, it's a light flavor that is not too heavy on the stomach.  I tried this recipe last night and it was delectable but unfornately I only took a blurry picture of it, and now it is half devoured so taking a new picture is out. So if you are wondering what flan should look like (I guess you could always google it) here is a picture of the flan from my final exam at pastry school.

I recently had a birthday and my wonderful mother-in-law gave me a Le Creuset tart pan. You've seen this cookware before, chances are you know them because they are heavy and they come in a variety of colors. Le Creuset has been in business for nearly 90 years, so they know what they are doing when it comes to cookware. I am so excited to have my first piece and cannot wait to continue adding to my collection. 

From the moment I unwrapped my present and saw the beautiful purple tart pan there my mind was buzzing of what to bake in it first. Naturally I could make a tart as that was the intended use but instead I decided that this marvelous gift would need to make something extra special. It turned out to be the perfect thing for making a large flan and it came out wonderfully. 

Where are all the cookbooks?

I recently received  a gift card to Barnes & Noble for my birthday so I set out this morning in the hopes of purchasing a cookbook or two. I've recently been re-inspired at work (which might be another entry at another time) and I wanted to get some fresh ideas. Imagine my surprise as I went through shelves and shelves of cookbooks I could not for the life of me find a dessert cookbook with variety. I don't want to seem over dramatic but I was a bit dumb founded. It seems that, when it comes to desserts, cookbooks fall into one of three categories:

Specialty: Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, or what you can make with microwave. Not terrible, there is certainly a demand for these types of desserts but for me I want my gluten, I want my sugar and I want to use my oven ( or what have you). I admit I know I probably could have looked through these for ideas but it just wasn't what I was looking for.

Cookies: Cookies, cookies, cookies. If you need to find a cookie recipe I'm sure it will not be difficult. There are books on dietary cookies, cookies that look like things, cookies that can all be made from one recipe and cookies that promise to be better than your mothers (which could never be true in my case). Cookies are, of course, a wonderful comfort food and with all the varieties you are certain to find something you like but as with the specialty books a cookie cookbook was just not what I was in the market for...especially considering I already have two.

Last but certainly not least are the Cupcake books. Oh goodness the cupcakes. I counted not two or three but eight different books dedicated to cupcakes. I'm not even talking about books on cakes that you could possibly turn into cupcakes. I am referring to at least either different books that are dedicated entirely to the art of the miniature cake. I have nothing against cupcakes, I love them in fact. I used to work in a very charming cupcake shop (where the own use to let me have them everyday) but I have to admit a bit of frustration when I cannot find a dessert cook book but I can find eight different cupcake books.

I am certain there has to be a cookbook dedicated to the most important meal of the day out there. For whatever reason it was just not at my particular Barnes & Noble. I just want something that has a range of recipes. Cupcakes and cookies may be permitted but they should play harmoniously with the fruit tarts, bundt cakes and various fruit curds. I suppose that is what the internet was invented for. 

Keep your station clean or I will kill you

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not the tidiest person. It is true that before culinary school cleaning while baking seemed unimportant, something that could be saved for afterward. It was something that I even admitted during my interview for culinary school, I was embarrassed but the woman conducting the first interview told me not to worry that would be fixed during the program.

She was right, for the first few weeks it seemed my chef was constantly reminding all of us to "CLEAN AS YOU GO". On more than one occasion my chef  would pull a student away from their final (thankfully not me) and tell them to clean. It seemed by the end of the program the problem was, for the most part, fixed. Cleaning as I cooked became second nature.


I will make this easy to remember, "Keep your station clean  or I WILL KILL YOU"

Holidays in the pastry world

I was grabbing a cup of coffee before work yesterday and the barista asked me how my three day weekend was. It took me a moment before realizing that Memorial day weekend, for a lot of people, means barbecue and an extra day off from work. I smiled and said fine, I knew he was just being polite and making small talk. Truth is I don't remember the last time I had a three day weekend; not that I really mind, I knew what I was signing up for.

My three day weekend was comprised of people wanting more and there not being enough hours in the day. Really nothing out of the ordinary for a holiday weekend. While I do desserts and pastries for most of the eateries in the casino my main focus is desserts for the buffet. Cakes, pies, individual servings of creme brulee, all of it delicious and all of it in large quantities. Sometimes you feel as though you've just refilled the tower of cookies, you turned around and everything is gone.

This is par for the course with most holidays. Christmas? New Years? Valentines? Don't bother making plans, you're working. The last holiday I had off was Thanksgiving and that was because my regular day off is Thursday. Sometimes I feel utterly helpless, like there's no way I can keep up with demand, but at the end of the day I see customers smiling. Every once in a while a customer will pop their head in my little area and tell me that my desserts were just perfection.

Really that's why we do it isn't it? To make people happy. Well that might not be the entire truth, there is something wonderful about creating sweet things. At the end of a 9 hour shift I might be covered in chocolate, flour and frosting; but it's heaven.

Must begin researching vanilla bean cremeux. Father's day is coming up.

Cheesecake Pie

I have to say Operation Cheesecake Pie was a success.

As I mentioned in my last post being in the culinary industry  leaves very little time for much else in your life; that being said I, for the most part, have difficulty finding much time to bake on my days off.  This cheesecake pie is delicious and saves quite a bit of time. I purchased one of those premade graham cracker pie crusts from the market, due to the aluminum tin I don't have to worry about getting my spring form pan out or that pesky water bath associated with cheesecake. Another upside to this cheesecake pie is that it only takes 35 minutes to bake! That is nearly half the time of most cheesecake recipes and like 1/4 of the time of my usual recipe. That's less time baking and less time between me and eating the thing. 

This was the first time I ever baked a cheesecake without sour cream and the first time I used evaporated milk in the recipe. The texture is not quite as smooth and rich as my normal cheesecake recipe but it is still delicious. Additionally, since the recipe is so easy I might have experiment with the flavors.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 9-inch graham cracker crust, baked

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until thick and light yellow. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and the flour, beating until blended.Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese with a small amount of the evaporated milk until smooth.Do not forget to scrape the bottom! Add remaining milk, the lemon juice, and the grated lemon peel; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture; beat just until blended.
4. Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

I didn't top this particular experiment with anything but it's such a light and fresh flavor adding fruit would be delightful. Might have to try adding chocolate to this recipe.

The Pixie is still baking and eating

Has it really been over a year since I've posted?


I must say that it has in fact been a very busy year for this pixie. I've been baking up a storm, unfortunately being a professional baker doesn't leave much time writing. Have I mentioned that I'm a professional now? Isn't that a weird thought? Well, not professional in the way that Johnny Iuzzini is a professional but I do get paid to make desserts now.

A year ago I was recently graduated and a new intern for a casino (a somewhat big casino in california). I was so excited when they offered me full time employment in October. There were no openings when I left my internship so I found a job at a wonderful little cupcake shop known as Cupcake Love, the owner is a wonderful woman that is filled with love and creativity.Should you ever find yourself near Solana Beach I highly recommend their Peanut Butter Ecstacy cupcakes. I worked there for a few months but once the casino offered me a full-time position I knew I had to take it. Now I spend my days making creme brulee, cakes, pies, breakfast pastries, and even do molded chocolates.

So I'm still baking, eating and hopefully now I'll be making time to write as well.At this very moment I have a cheesecake pie in the oven, it is the first time I've ever made a cheesecake with evaporated milk instead of sour cream, cannot wait to taste it.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti, like macarons, are cookies that I went most of my life under the impression that I did not like it. I don’t know if this is because the only biscotti I’ve ever really seen was at a Starbucks or because most recipes I’ve seen have nuts; whatever the reason it is does not matter now.

In pastry school we made biscotti once and I was not completely frustrated with the process so I decided that I would some today so my mother could have some fresh biscotti waiting for her when she got home.

I myself am a chocolate fiend and since coffee and chocolate are a wonderful pair it seemed only natural that chocolate biscotti would be perfection.

Ingredients

• ½ stick of butter (soft)
• 2/3 cups of sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¾ cup of AP flour
• ¾ cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. In a mixing bowl cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and baking powder. Gradually add to the butter and sugar.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time allowing to fully incorporate before adding the next.
4. Fold in flour gradually by hand. The batter will start to come together and form a single mass.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to chill for 15 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
8. Divide the dough into 2 and roll into 9 inch logs (careful to avoid air pockets). Flatten the top slightly and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes rotating half way through.
10. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to allow to cool for 1 hour.
11.  Cut each loaf into ½ inch slices, and lay flat on a cookie sheet with new parchment. Beware chocolate chips that are on the outside edge though, every time I tried to cut through them my cookie would break and would have to be eaten (oh darn.)
12. Bake at 325 F for 9 minutes. Flip cookies and bake for another 9 minutes.
13. Allow to cool and enjoy.

What you are left with it a delicious chocolate cookie that isn’t overpowering or too sweet. They have a great snap and are perfect for dunking.  The only trouble I seem to have with biscotti is cutting them. It seems hitting a soft and gooey chocolate chip causes the piece to crumble. This recipe yielded roughly 2 ½ dozen cookies so I imagine without the causalities it would have made 3 dozen.

The beautiful thing about them also is that they are very quick to come together; the longest part of this recipe is waiting around for them to cool down just to bake them again. I think with the way I’ve been nibbling at them they might disappear pretty fast too.