Gateau Pithiviers

Honestly, if someone had kindly informed me of the thousands of things that can be done with puff pastry, I would've started to buy commercial sheets a few years ago and had my way with them. I could have tried a billion different wonderful things by now. It wasn't until I actually labored with them that I discovered all the uses. To be quite honest...the taste of homemade puff pastry is absolutely wonderful, BUT...it's a lot of work and if you're going to get all creative and put extra stuff on the pastry...then perhaps going with puff pastry at the store isn't that big of a deal. It saves a lot of time and you can come up with tons of different uses for it. I know it's not cost effective whatsoever for bakeries to make their own puff pastry dough, so most don't even bother, which is why you shouldn't bad about it. I feel like the time you have to devote to making the dough shouldn't deter you from trying out all of these different recipes. In fact, tons of people should try these out with sheets from the store and if they find one they like...they should take the time to make the dough. It's a true labor of love...

Ok, I'm blabbing b/c I'm like a kid who just discovered a candy store for the first time.

Gateau Pithiviers...has an awful name. It's beyond intimidating to try to pronounce. Truthfully, I'm pretty insecure at pronouncing French names b/c it sounds so much nicer coming out of a French person's mouth than my own. However, it's a lot easier to make than it sounds.

Almond Frangipane
8 oz almond paste
5 oz sugar
4 eggs
8 oz butter, softened
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 oz AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

1) Combine almond paste, sugar, and 1 egg in mixer. Beat with paddle on medium speed until smooth.
2) Add butter, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl between each egg.
3) Combine flour and baking powder. Beat until just absorbed.

Notes: Almond paste is pretty much 50% almonds and 50% sugar, but I can't figure out why it has such a distinctive taste. I use a lot of almond flour and I eat a lot of almonds, but they don't taste like that! It took me a while to figure out what it tastes like...it tastes like those cookies that come in plastic containers at the supermarket with sprinkles on them.
This can last in the fridge for weeks and the freezer for months!
This makes more than what's necessary for Gateau Pithiviers, but don't fear...I'll be using it in the next post.

Gateau Pithiviers
2 lbs puff pastry
12 oz almond frangipane
1 Egg for egg wash

1) Roll dough into 11"x22" rectangle. Cut into 2 11" squares. Chill in fridge for about an hour.
2) Place one square on a baking pan covered with parchment paper. Cut out two 10" circles. Mark with a 6" circle in the center (you can just use a bowl to outline these...just press the bowl upside down lightly into the dough to leave a mark). On just one circle, pipe almond frangipane inside the inner (6") circle. Brush egg glaze between the 6" circle and the edge. Press second dough circle on top and press down dough along edge so they stick.
3) Trim edges into a soft star shape (Sorry, hard to describe...kind of like the outline of flower petals. Refer to photo to understand.) using a thin knife. Be sure not to cut near the almond frangipane or else it'll leak out during baking. Brush top with egg wash.
4) Cut hole in the center to allow the steam of the frangipane to escape during baking. Holding the knife at a 45 degree angle, create curved slashes that cut only halfway through the puff pastry on the inner 6" circle. On the edges (the petals), cut X shapes.
5) Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until pastry is well colored ~40 minutes.

When it comes out, brush with sugar syrup. Combine 8 oz sugar and 1 c water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cool. This will make it slightly sweeter and much shinier.

p.s. Save your scraps. Wrap them up and throw them in the freezer b/c they're totally still usable!

Notes: Again back to the distinct almond paste taste...it really shines in this piece. I used the frangipane in a tart and was so "ehhh" about it that I didn't even bother putting it up, but it's much better here. I really enjoyed this one! The shape is sort of comical though. On one hand, it's really beautiful just sitting there all delicate and lovely, but when it came to eating it, I felt like a child in a cartoon picking up and eating a shiny flower. Perhaps it's supposed to be eaten in a more delicate way, but I couldn't help myself!

Check out the layers below. Just imagine that there's 1200+ layers of butter folded in dough making up this beauty. It's so light and flaky!



xoxo,
lemonie

Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel Cake

Lemon-slice has struck again! Since our mom's into nuts, lemon-slice is into making desserts with nuts in them. I love pecans in desserts. It's such a nice texture. =)

This cake smelled heavenly coming out of the oven. Maybe b/c I also love the smell of cinnamon and sugar together. We ate this at night. We're not a big fan of sweets in the morning, but I imagine this would be good with some coffee.

Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel Cake

1 3/4 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 c unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan
2) In a bowl, stir together the flour, 1 c of the sugar, and the baking powder. Mix in the butter with fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3) Add egg, milk, and vanilla and stir until just combined. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
4) In another bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 c sugar, the cinnamon, and the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the surface ofthe batter. Using a table knife, cut gently down through the batter at intervals of 2 inches to spread some topping into the batter.
5) Bake about 25-30, until passes toothpick test. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serve warm.

xoxo,
lemonie

A Banana Day!

Lemon-slice is really all about the fruits. Anything that has fruits, she wants to try making it. That's how we ended up buying a half dozen bananas today....
And those bananas ended up in half a dozen stomachs.



Banana Crumb Muffins
1 1/2 c ap flour 1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 mashed bananas
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c butter, melted
1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ap flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp butter
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tray.
2) In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 c flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3) In another bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, eggs, and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
4) In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour, and cinnamon. With fingers, mix in 1 tbsp butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle over muffins.
5) Bake 18-20 minutes, or until passes toothpick test.



Banana Nut Bread (Williams-Sonoma)
2 1/2 c whole-wheat flour, extra for dusting
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter at room temperature
2 c sugar
2 c mashed banana
4 eggs
1 c chopped walnuts

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans and dust with flour.
2) In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3) In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until blended.
4) Beat in the banana, then beat in the eggs until completely mixed. Stir in nuts, add combined dry ingredients, and stir until blended.
5) Pour and scrape the batter into the 2 prepared pans.
6) Bake about 1 hour or until it passes the toothpick test.

xoxo,
lemonie