A Balance Of Tastes

I’m a huge lover of anything in miniature.

So financiers (aka little French cakes) are among my favorite desserts.

Made with a mixture of almond meal and all-purpose flour, they’re light and delicate while still packing a lot of flavors.

Today I’m bringing you this recipe for pear financiers because of #fall. Just be sure to use a real vanilla bean, that’s the key!

Recipe

Makes 9

Ingredients

150 g unsalted butter
120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
55 grams almond meal
1 vanilla bean
1/2 pear, peeled cored and diced

Instructions

1. Cook the butter in a small saucepan until it starts to foam and dark particles start to form on the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty. Strain the butter and let it cool.
2. Cut the vanilla bean in half and use the back of your knife to scrape out the beans. Whisk together the vanilla beans, egg whites, sugar, flour, and almond meal. Slowly add the brown butter and whisk until it is incorporated. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Spoon the batter into silicone molds. Top each pear and bake at 375 F for about 10-25 minutes or until golden. The time will vary depending on the size of the mold. I used these 2.5 oz cup molds and baked mine for about 22 minutes. Just make sure that a toothpick inserted into the center of the financier comes out clean.
4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a baking tray to cool. Dust with powdered sugar.
5. Enjoy!

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Recipe

Makes 8-10 small waffles

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 2 ½ tbsp water
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg (optional)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 small bananas, mashed
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• non-stick spray

Instructions

1. Stir together flaxseed meal and water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. In a small cup, microwave coconut oil on 50% power until melted (about 1 minute). In a medium bowl, microwave almond milk on 50% power until lukewarm (about 20 seconds).
4. Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, mashed bananas, and vanilla to the almond milk. Whisk to combine.
5. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry mixture until just combined with no floury streaks. Set aside.
6. Preheat a waffle iron (on medium-high if your waffle iron has a temperature setting).
7. Once hot, grease a waffle iron with non-stick spray (I use coconut oil). Use an ice cream scoop or 1/3 measuring cup to measure out batter for each waffle. Makes approximately 8-10 small waffles.
8. Enjoy!

Adapted from The Pancake Princess.…

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That pretty much sums up this key lime curd ice cream.

It’s the perfect dish for lazy summer afternoons.

For some added yum, try topping your ice cream with Annie’s Bunny Grahams (or Teddy Grahams, not playing brand favorites) and whipped cream.

Recipe

Makes 1-1/2 to 2 pints

Ingredients

KEY LIME CURD

1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp grated key lime zest
1/4 cup key lime juice
4 tbsp unsalted butter

ICE CREAM BASE

1 3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 egg yolks

Instructions

1. Prepare key lime curd. Combine sugar, eggs, lime zest, and juice in a medium nonreactive saucepan, and set over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken and holds the mark of the whisk, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and whisk in butter, 1 tbsp at a time, until well combined. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, laying the plastic directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 3 hours or overnight to set the curd.
2. Prepare ice cream base. In a medium-size saucepan whisk together cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar and salt. Heat over medium/low heat until steaming.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
4. When the cream mixture is hot and steaming, slowly pour a small amount of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture stirring constantly. Continue to add at least 1/2 of the hot cream mixture.
5. Gently pour the egg/cream mixture back into the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the mixture coats the back of the spoon, remove from heat and pour into an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
6. Freeze the bowl of an ice cream maker.
7. When ready to make the ice cream, pour the custard base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add lemon curd the last 5 – 10 minutes of mixing. Mix until incorporated then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until serving.
8. Enjoy!

Adapted slightly from Instapot.Online.…

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Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone!

While these macarons are a far cry from classic Irish flavors, they’re bright green so I’m taking that as on-theme enough to share with y’all today.

These bright green macaron shells are filled with dark chocolate and wasabi ganache, making them anything but boring.

I’ll tell you now though, they’re not for everyone.

If you avoid wasabi peas in your snack mix and skip the spicy green paste on your sushi, these macarons aren’t for you.

But for all of you who love a kick of flavor in your sweets, follow me!

Recipe

Makes 35-40 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients

ALMOND MIXTURE

200 g blanched almonds, ground
200 g powdered sugar
73 g egg whites
1 tsp powdered green food coloring

ITALIAN MERINGUE

200 g sugar
50 g mineral water
73 g egg whites

CHOCOLATE WASABI GANACHE

150 g dark chocolate (64% cocoa content minimum)
150 g whipping cream
53 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 tsp (5-10 g) wasabi paste*

Instructions

1. Prepare chocolate wasabi ganache. Cut chocolate into small pieces if not already done. In a medium pan, bring whipping cream to a boil. Pour heated cream over dark chocolate, one third at a time, mixing on each occasion to ensure the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Let the mixture cool for 1-2 minutes before stirring in the butter until smooth. Add wasabi to taste.* Put ganache into piping bag. Refrigerate around 40 minutes or until ready to use.
   Prepare four baking sheets by either lining them with a silpat or parchment paper.
2. Prepare the almond mixture. Sift ground almonds and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add egg whites and food coloring. Mix well using a wooden spoon.
3. Prepare Italian meringue. Bring sugar and water to a boil and cook to 245° F. When the sugar syrup is at 237° F, start beating the egg whites with a whisk attachment on low, gradually increasing the speed to high until stiff peaks form. When the sugar is cooked, reduce the mixing speed of the egg whites to low and pour in the sugar syrup between the whisk and the bowl. Return the mixing speed to high and whisk until the meringue is no longer hot (feel the bottom of the mixing bowl to judge this).
4. Carefully fold the meringue into the almond mixture, a little at a time using a plastic spatula. Be careful not to overfold, 20-25 folds should be enough. The meringue should flow off of the spatula in a continuous ribbon.
5. Pour the mixture into a pastry bag with a size 10 mm tip.
6. Pipe 1 ½ to 2-inch circles onto the prepared baking sheets. Bang the baking sheet strongly 4-5 times on the counter to release air bubbles. Let the macarons rest (croûter) on the baking sheet for 1 hour.
7. Bake at 320° F for about 12-15 minutes or until they pass the wiggle test. The wiggle test is done be gently moving the top of the macaron back and forth. A fully-cooked macaron will not be able to wiggle.
8. Let cool and remove from cookie sheets.
9. Once cooled, pair up cookies of matching size/shape, being sure to leave the prettier macaron on top.
10. Pipe chocolate ganache onto the bottom cookie. Top with the top cookie and swirl together to distribute evenly.

Enjoy!

*1 tsp (5 g) of wasabi will give you a ganache with a strong chocolate flavor and a hint of wasabi at the end. For more of a kick, use 2 tsp (10 g). You can buy best Keurig coffee maker probably for cheaps on Amazon.…

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