Truffles with Orange Zest

Truffles with Orange Zest (I used a cutie for the photo, I was all out of oranges.)

These truffles are melt in your mouth delicious. well they will melt in your hand too, so its a delicate chocolate. If you want them to be easier to handle when serving, you can use the truffle/ganache as a filling in chocolates, but may turn up the orange flavor a bit.

I used a cutie for the photo, I was all out of oranges.

Makes 20-30 small truffles.

Ingredients:

• 175 ml heavy whipping cream

• 175 g dark chocolate, I used Valrhona

• 1 organic orange, the zest of

• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur like Grand Marnier - optional

• unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Valrhona

Directions:

Chop the chocolate finely, and set aside. Zest the orange, and set it aside. Line a small loaf pan with parchment paper, and set it aside.

Heat the cream to the boiling point in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir it until alll the chocolate is melted and the ganache becomes shining. Stir in the orange zest and liqueur. Pour the ganache into the prepared loaf pan and set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to firm up. Cut the truffles up in bite-size squares and cover them with cocoa powder. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Mazarin Cupcakes

Mazarin Cupcakes

Mazarin cake is yet another Danish classic. I made a similar cake before, but this ones is a quick take on the Mazarin Cake. Instead of making one big cake, I opted for the smaller cupcake, in perfect serving size.
A classic Mazarin cake is covered in chocolate. By icing the small cupcakes with a ganache, I didn't have to temper the chocolate, and I got a bolder chocolate flavor, and a delicious creaminess. 

Makes 10-12.

Ingredients:

• 150 g butter, salted and room temperature
• 150 g sugar
• 150 marzipan, grated
• 2 eggs
• 75 g all-purpose flour

Ganache:

• 150 g dark chocolate (I used Valrhona)
• 150 ml heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 355℉ (180℃). 

Butter a cupcake pan. Line the bottom with some parchment paper, this will prevent the cupcakes from sticking. You can also use parchment paper cups. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, mix in the grated marzipan, making sure the mixture again gets light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. 

Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture, and gently fold it in.

Fill the the cups ¾ and bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache:

Chop the chocolate finely, and put in a medium bowl. Bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil, and pour the hot cream into the center of the bowl with thew chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture become cohesive and shinny. Let the ganache chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. 

Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe good amount on top of each cupcake, and add sprinkle.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate/Lime Ganache

White Chocolate/Lime Ganache 

This sweet creamy ganache is perfect in a classic layer cake instead of a buttercream or in french macarons. * Next time I'll try with only 1 gelatin sheet, so I get a softer ganache. but otherwise it was perfect. This is the kind of ganache that can be eaten with a spoon, it's that good.

This recipe is adapted from Dominique Ansel's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 gelatin sheets or 2 teaspoons gelatin powder *
• water for blooming, 2 tablespoons if using gelatin powder
• 120 g white chocolate (use a good one, like Valrhona)
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream
• 1 lime, the zest of
• 25 g sugar
• 50 ml freshly squeezed lime juice

Direction:

Soak the gelatin in water, or if using gelatin powder sprinkle over 2 tablespoons water. Let to bloom for 10-15 minutes. 

Chop the chocolate finely and place in a bowl, set aside.

Rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic.

Heat the cream with the aromatic sugar, in a saucepan, to a soft boil. Remove from heat. 

Melt the bloomed gelatin in the hot cream, while whisking. Pour about one-third of the hot cream over the chocolate, and left to sit for 30 seconds. Then whisk until incorporated and melted. Add the rest of the cream and whisk until smooth. 

Let the ganache cool to room temperature, then whisk in the lime juice.

Cover the ganache with plastic wrap pressed directly against the ganache. This will prevent the ganache forming pudding skin. Let the ganache set over night or for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator. 

Whip the ganache on high speed until medium-stiff peaks. Put ganache into a piping bag with a round tip. Push the ganache towards the tip.  Place  the piping bag in the refrigerator until ready to use. (Will only keep  in refrigerator for up to 2 days).  

Use ganache in Valentines Pavlovas or french macarons.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache Fruit Tart

Chocolate Ganache Fruit Tart

Chocolate is the answer to everything, who cares what the question is?

Just another pie. Sweet, chocolaty and fruitful.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 20 g almonds
• 20 g cocoa powder, unsweetened 
• 55 g all-purpose flour
• 35 g sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ⅖ stick (45 g) butter, cold and salted
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste
• almost 1 egg

Ganache:

• 60 g dark chocolate
• 60 g milk chocolate
• 120 g heavy whipping cream
• 1½ teaspoon cognac

Topping:

• fresh fruit like cherries, raspberries and blackberries 

Direction:

Crust:

Chop the almonds in the food processor until it’s a coarse flour. Add, cocoa, sugar, flour and salt. Add diced cold butter, and blend until fully combined. Add vanilla paste and egg, and blend until just combined. Don't knead the dough, it will make the crust shrink when baked.

Form a disc or flat square of the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Spray the small tart pans with nonstick spray.

Flour your work surface generously, place the cold dough on top and flour the dough. Roll it out so it fits the tart pan.

Transfer the dough to the pie pan, cut off the overhanging dough for the crust to fit perfectly in the pan. 

If the dough sticks, use at bench scraper or a spatula to get it off your work surface. If the dough get to soft, put it into the freezer for a few minutes. 

Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃)

Line crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake the crust until edges are set, about 10 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights, and bake the crust for another 5 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Ganache:

Melt the chocolate in the cream over very low heat. When almost melted, remove from heat, and add the cognac. 

Pour the ganache into the crusts, and refrigerate them to set the ganache.

Decoration:

Decorate the tarts with fresh fruit, and serve.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Frugtchokoladetærte

Bund:

• 20 g mandler
• 20 g kakaopulver, usødet 
• 55 g hvedemel
• 35 g sukker
• 1 knsp salt
• 45 g smør, koldt og saltet, i små tern
• ¼ tsk vanille pasta eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang
• næsten 1 æg

Ganache:

• 60 g mørk chokolade
• 60 g mælke chokolade
• 120 g piskefløde
• 1½ tsk cognac

Topping:

• frisk frugt såsom, kirsebær, hindbær og brombær

Fremgangsmåde:

Bund:

Hak mandlerne til manelmel i foodprocessoren. Tilsæt kakao, sukker, mel og salt. Kom smørret i, og blend indtil det er en ensartet blanding. Tilsæt vanillie og æg, og blend indtil det kun lige har samlet sig. Hvis du ælter dejen for meget, vil den krympe, når den bages

Form dejen til en flad firkant og pak den ind i plastikfilm, og lad den hvile i køleskabet i minimum en time. 

Smør de små tærtebunde. 

Rul dejen ud på et meldækket bord, så den er lidt større end tærteformene. Løft dejen forsigtigt over i formene, og skær evt overskydende dej af, så dejen passer perfekt i formene.

Prik i dejen med en gaffel, og sæt dejen i fryseren i ca 30 minutter.

Opvarm ovnen til 190℃.

Kom et stykke bagepapir ovenpå dejen og hæld Keramiske blindbagningskugler, eller tørrede bønner, ovenpå, så du kan bage bunden blindt. Bag bunden i 10 minutter, fjern så bagepapir og fyld. Bag bunden i yderligere 5 minutter. Lad bunden køle helt af, inden den fyldes.

Ganache:

Smelt chokoladen i fløden ved lav varme. Når chokoladen er næsten helt smeltet tages gryden af varmen og cognacen kommes i. Hæld ganachen i bundene og sæt tærterne i køleskabet, så ganachen sætter sig.

Dekoration:

Kom den friske frugt på tærterne, og server dem.

Velbekomme!