Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste

Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste

When I first moved to California, one of the things I had a hard time finding, was vanilla beans. In Denmark I never used vanilla extract, only real vanilla beans or vanilla sugar. So I always got vanilla beans sent to me in Care Packages. Eventually I discovered vanilla bean paste, and used that for most things, except for vanilla wreaths and our Christmas dessert Risalamande. Here I wanted the truer delicate vanilla flavors from the beans. Around the month of December you can find ok vanilla beans, but they aren’t as thick and plump, as the onc’s I got from Denmark. Somehow I got dragged into a vanilla cult, and now i buy the most beautiful thick and plump vanilla beans to a reasonable price online. Access to great vanilla beans, made me want to try making my own vanilla bean paste without any extract, and this recipe from Karas Couture Cakes is the most clean recipe i have found.

Makes about 250-300 ml (8½-10 fl oz)

Ingredients:

• 16 whole vanilla beans

• 250 g water

• 300 g sugar

• 50 g glucose

Directions:

Cut off the ends of the beans, you can save these, dry them and use them for vanilla sugar.

Chop the beans into a 1/2-inch (~1cm) long pieces. Using a food processor, spice grinder or Vitamix blender, grind the beans with about half the sugar. Work in batches, so you don’t overheat machinery or the vanilla and sugar mixture. You are looking for a grey/brown sandy looking mixture.

In a medium saucepan mix the rest of the sugar, water and glucose, and heat it to a boil, let it boil for a few minutes. Add the vanilla sugar mixture to the saucepan, and let it boil for another 2 minutes, before removing from the heat.

Strain the vanilla through a fine meshed sieve, and use a flexible spatula to massage as much of the paste through the sieve. You can save this pulp and use it to make extract or vanilla sugar. I didn’t do that as I allready had some extract brewing and didn’t need more.

Pour the vanilla bean paste into clean scolded glass containers, and close the lids tightly when completely cooled. Store the vanilla bean paste in a dark place like a pantry.

DO NOT REFRIGERATE

Use vanilla bean paste in cakes, custard, ice cream, and where you would use vanilla sugar or extract.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls or snegle are a classic in many countries. And for good reason. They taste fantastic. Sweet, soft with the right amount of  cinnamon, Yum yum yum.

In Denmark this type of cinnamon rolls are called Onsdagssnegle (Wednesday Snails) if they are made in size XXL. Acutely they are often bigger than a DVD. Personally I like the smaller ones, they have a better cinnamon to bread ratio.  The snail part might not sound particularly delicious, but it is referring to the shape of the cake, the swirl of the snails shell. 

Makes 20-24.

Ingredients:

• 50 g live yeast ( 4 teaspoons dry yeast)

• 175 g butter, salted

• 500 ml milk

• 175 g sugar

• 2 teaspoons cardamom

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 200 g whole wheat flour

• 600-650 g all-purpose flour

filling:

• 150 g butter, salted, room temperature

• 100 g brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

• confectionary sugar

• water or lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Warm the milk in a saucepan until finger-warm, remove pan from the heat. Melt the butter in the warm milk. Crumble the yeast into the warm milk and stir to dissolve. 

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, and knead the dough for 3 minutes, to form an elastic dough. 

Let the dough rise for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size. . 

Mix the filling and set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it to a large rectangle (16x16 inches/40x40 cm).

Spread the filling in a thin layer onto the dough, leaving a thin edge closest to your self, without filling.

Roll the dough into a large log, pinching edges together to seal. Cut the log into 20-24 slices. Grease sides and bottom of a baking pan.

Place the slices fairly close together. Cover and leave to rise for another 40-50 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 425℉ (220℃). 

Bake the rolls for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. 

Leave them to cool in the pan. 

Frost the cinnamon rolls before serving.

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!

Passionfruit Mousse

Passionfruits

I love love love passionfruits. For me it is the most exotically tasting fruit, I've ever tried. The taste is very distinct, somewhat sour. The more wrinkled  the fruit gets, the sweeter the juice is. 

This Mousse is perfect as dessert or in cakes. It pairs perfectly with chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 3 gelatin sheets (husblas)
• 200 g passionfruit juice*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
• 45 g confectionary sugar
• 250 ml heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Place the gelatin sheets in cold water, to bloom. 

Half the passionfruits and scoop the juice and seeds out in a sauce pan. Heat the juice, and strain the seeds from the juice.

Heat juice, confectionary sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan. You just want to melt the sugar and hot enough to melt the gelatin. Remove from heat and put the bloomed gelatin (husblas, squeeze most of the water out first) in. Stir until the gelatin is melted, this takes no time. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator until almost room temperature.

Whip the cream to medium stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled passionfruit juice. Now the mousse needs to set, this will take a few hours in the refrigerator. 

Before the mousse sets, you can pour it into individual serving vessels, a large glass bowl, to serve family style, or spread in between layers in a cake. 

Enjoy!

* Or use 100 g concentrated passionfruit concentrate and 100 g water. Sometime you can find this product in the freezer isle in Whole Foods.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

Easy, no eggs chocolate mousse, perfect in layer cakes.

Adapted from piskeriset.dk

Ingredients:

• 300 ml heavy whipping cream
• 220 g milk chocolate, I used Valrhona
• 2 sheets of gelatin (husblas), about 3.5 g

Directions:

Place the gelatin (husblas) in cold water to bloom for 5-10 minutes. Melt the chocolate over at double boiler with 50 ml of the cream. 

Whip the remaining cream to medium hard peaks. (You don't want it to become grainy.)

Melt the gelatin in a small ball over a double boiler. (I just place a bowl as a lid on a saucepan with water I just boiled in a kettle. I don't put the saucepan over the heat.) Mix the gelatin in the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate cool to finger-warm. Gently fold the whipped cream in the chocolate. Pour the Mousse in small serving sized bowls, one large bowl if served family style or use it as filling in a cake. 

Now the chocolate mousse has to set. Let the mousse set for a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!