Very light, fluffy and tasty French cookies. Classic small sponge cakes shaped like seashell, usually made with lemon zest. I love lemon, but I decided not to add any to my madeleines. I just like them plain.
You can find molds for mini-madeleines. That’s really nice and you can savor them for a cafe gourmand.
French Madeleines
To make an authentic madeleine, you will need a madeleine pan. But you can use a muffin pan or any cake pan.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 120 ml milk
- 200 g all purpose flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 120 g unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine eggs and sugar. Whip until light. Add milk and mix well.
- Carefully fold in the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt.
- Add melted butter and mix throughly until smooth. Let the batter rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter madeleine pan. My pan makes 12 cookies at a time. From this receipe you’ll make 24 cookies.
- Spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops spring back. Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.
- With a knife or fork carefully loosen the madeleines from the pan and then tip the whole pan out to a prepared plate.
- If you want to make it in a loaf pan, it will take much longer, about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean.
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This post was posted in Cafe gourmand, Desserts
Tuna pate with smoked salmon
Delicious Tuna and Smoked Salmon Pate is an amazing appetizer served with fresh or toasted bread.
Tuna pate with smoked salmon
Ingredients
- 160 g tuna in water drained
- 5-6 slices smoked salmon
- 160 g mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 onion chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh dill to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine together mascarpone cheese and tuna, mash it with fork.
- Add chopped dill and minced onion, salt and pepper.
- Add finely chopped smoked salmon and stir together.
- Transfer to a small dish and garnish with chopped fresh dill or with thin slices of salmon. Cover with food plastic wrap.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Notes
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This post was posted in Appetizers
Ham And Cheese Quiche
The Quiche is a French open faced pie. Amazing dish which can be served with tossed salad, roasted potatoes, bouillon ( broth ) or just by itself.
Ham and cheese quiche
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 3 eggs
- 150 ml cream
- 150 g ham
- 70 g shredded cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- On parchment paper, roll puff pastry out to larger than the size of your baking dish circle. Transfer to a pie plate. Using a fork, prick the surface of the dough to keep it from puffing up.
- Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the crust starts to turn light gold. Remove the pastry from the oven, pressing the center down with a fork, if it puffed up a bit.
- Cut ham into small cubes and spread on top of the dough.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the cheese layer.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a tooth pick comes clean.
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Course: Main Dish
This post was posted in Main Dish, Puff Pastry
Liquor 44
One orange, one liter of vodka or rum, 44 coffee beans, 44 pieces of sugar, and 44 days of infusion. A French alcohol drink that will enchant your guests. Consume with moderation!
Liquor 44
Ingredients
- 1 orange organic
- 44 coffee beans
- 44 pieces of sugar (or 220 g of granulated sugar)
- 1 liter vodka or white rum
Instructions
- Wash a jar with boiling water then dry it. Wash and dry the orange.
- With a knife, make 44 cuts in the orange and put a coffee bean in each hole.
- Put the orange in the jar and add the sugar.
- Add the vodka (or rum).
- Close the jar well, keep it in a cool and dark place for 44 days.
- Throw away the orange (sadly it is not good anymore). Filter the liquor and pour into a bottle.
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This post was posted in Drinks
French Chocolate Macarons
French Chocolate Мacarons (Macarons au chocolat) – elegant french cookie made with almond flour. There are hundreds of different fillings, but the chocolate ganache is the most popular. This recipe is simple enough to make, but they sometimes crack or have imperfect “feet”. Don’t worry they’re still delicious, and don’t give up, only practice will make them flawless.
Perfect for a cafe gourmand!
French Chocolate Macarons
Please don’t eat your macarons right away, wait until they reach ambient temperature. Macarons can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Almond cookies
- 75 g almond flour
- 110 g powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder
- 2 large egg whites (about 70 g)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 50 g sugar
Chocolate ganache
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%)
- 90 g chocolate chips (60%)
- 1 tsp sour cream
Instructions
Almond cookies
- Mix almond flour and powdered sugar in food processor (20-30 seconds).
- Add cacao powder to almond mixture and pass through a fine sieve.
- Add a pinch of salt to egg whites and beat until foamy.
- Slowly add sugar and beat until firm peaks form.
- Fold the dry mixture into the meringue, keep folding the batter until it reaches a honey-like consistency.
- Transfer the batter to the pastry bag.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. To make all macarons look the same size, print out a 2.5 cm macaron template, place under parchment paper and trace the outlines. You can also use a silicone mat.
- Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe circles. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to release any air bubbles, and to make them look round. Let them sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until skin forms on the shells.
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes (one sheet at a time). Each oven temperature is different so keep an eye on them. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. Pair the cookies up according to size.
Chocolate ganache
- Add heavy cream to a small saucepan and heat on high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Allow to stand for 1 minute to soften the chocolate.
- Stir briskly until smooth.
- Add the sour cream and stir again.
- Transfer ganache to the pastry bag or small ziplock bag. Allow to cool for about 2 hours at room temperature or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Pipe the ganache filling in the middle of one shell (about 1 tsp).
- Sandwich it with empty shell. Store them in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving. They’ll taste even better next day. 😉
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Coconut Cookies with Hazelnuts
Very light, melting in your mouth, make these coconut cookies with shredded coconut and crushed hazelnuts. Works perfectly for gluten free diet. You may want to double the recipe as one batch never seems to be enough. You can freeze the leftovers in a plastic container.
Coconut cookies with hazelnuts
You can use walnuts or pecans.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pinch of salt
- 120 g sugar
- 150 g shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 50 g crushed hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340 degrees F.
- Combine egg whites and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in coconut and hazelnut.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto 2 baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Garnish each cookie with half hazelnut. I bake one baking sheet at a time, for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and try if the cookie is ready. Cool for about 3 minutes and transfer them onto the serving plate.
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French Chocolate Cake
French chocolate cake with dark chocolate. Very elegant and light, incredibly simple to make. It became our family signature cake. I make it for breakfast, for unexpected guests, and even as a birthday cake.
If you are looking for gluten-free recipe, try our Flourless Chocolate Cake.
French Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate chips
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 6 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour sifted
- 1/4 tsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a baking pan, then dust with little flour and tap out the excess.
- Meanwhile melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Mix well.
- Whisk eggs with sugar until frothy and blended.
- Add eggs to the chocolate batter and whisk.
- Add sifted flour and whisk again.
- Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 25- 30 minutes.
- Run the knife along to check if it is ready. Cake should be moist and not dry.
- Let it completely cool, remove the cake from the pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.
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This post was posted in Desserts