Monthly Archives: May 2014

Éclairs au chocolat – chocolate éclairs with vanilla filling

What are éclairs?

Éclairs is a typical french dessert which usually consist of choux pastry and are filled with pastry cream. Country by country, the filling differs. While in France, the chocolate éclairs will always have chocolate filling, in Spain, for example, the chocolate éclairs have vanilla filling. In Latvia, on the other hand, the filling is “more heavy” as we usually add more butter and cream. Chocolate ganache éclairs with vanilla pastry cream filling are my favorite ones – so, enjoy my French-Spanish recipe!

chocolate vanilla eclairs

Yield: 25 medium size éclaires, 10-12cm long

Ingredients

300g choux pastry
250-300g pastry cream

150g glaze

50g black chocolate
40g ice sugar
20g butter
1 table spoon of water

100g white fondant (fondant blanc)
20g cacao powder

Rhubarb mousse

A way to make rhubarb tasty

In Latvia we eat a lot of this wonderful plant, which has a lot of fibre and an acid taste. Most commonly, the plant’s leaf stalks are cooked with sugar and used in pies, drinks, and many other desserts. My husband is not particularly fond of this plant, so I’m trying different ways to convince him how tasty it really is. Believe me or not, but this mousse has convinced him It has light, airy consistance and a very fresh taste – a perfect way to start the summer!

Rhubarb mousse with raspberries

Yield: 4-6 portions

Ingredients:

These measures are very approximate, as I prepared my mousse without measuring anything – just tasting and making sure that the result is as wished The only important point is making sure that it doesn’t end up too acid – taste it often as you cook, and add enough sugar so that it’s sweet to your taste! If you want it to feel creamier, you can also reduce the amount of gelatin.

4 rhubarb stalks
80g sugar
150g-200g water
5 gelatin sheets
1 vanille bean
150g-200g whipped cream

Macarons (the Italian way)

What are macarons?

Macarons are all the rage now, and you’re sure to find them from Beijing to Rio. But, in case you haven’t come across them yet, here’s a nice picture:

two kinds of chocolate filling macarons

A perfect macaron has two almond-meringue pastries that have been cooked to be smooth and crisp, and the middle is filled with a cream, jam, or some other tasty ingredient (sometimes even something unexpected, like foie gras!)

Continue reading …