France – Levia Wegner ../../../index.html Baking & Happiness Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:58:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 ../../../wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Levia-L2-150x150.png France – Levia Wegner ../../../index.html 32 32 Profiterole ../../../profiterole/index.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:53:47 +0000 https://www.leviawegner.com/?p=992 This well known pastry was first made by a chef of Catherine Medici of Florence who was Italian but moved to France in the year 1540. The dough was first called pâté a Pantanelli or Pantarelli after the chef himself. The pastry evolved and he now used name, choux pastry was given due to it’s unusual shape after being baked. ‘Choux’ is french for cabbage. The dough used for Profiterole can also be used to make other choux pastries such as eclairs. Don’t be scared off, try it yourself!

Rezept

Ingredients

Choux Pastry (notes)

  • 100g Butter
  • 240g Water
  • 140g Flour
  • 4 Eggs

Filling

  • Vanilla Ice-cream
  • Vanilla Custard
  • Whipped Cream

Chocolate Sauce

  • 250g dark Chocolate
  • 240ml Heavy Cream

Instructions

  1. Simmer the butter until it is almost melted, then pour in the water.
  2. Mix in the flour and simmer for a minutes before removing it from the heat.
  3. Mix well until the dough resembles that in the picture below.

  1. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly until the eggs are well incorporated.
  3. Fill the dough into a piping bag with a round nozzle.
  4. Cover a baking tray with baking paper. You can use butter to stick it down so it won’t curl.
  5. Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan.
  6. Pipe 2cm wide circles onto the paper. Pipe on the same spot without moving the nozzle.
  7. Place the tray in the oven for 15 minutes.
  8. Take the tray out and prick the pastries with a sharp knife.
  9. Place the tray back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes.
  10. Leave the shells to cool while you prepare your filling.
  11. Once the shells are cool, fill them with whatever filling you choose.
  12. Melt the chocolate on low heat in a water-bath.
  13. Mix the heavy cream into the chocolate.
  14. Pour the sauce over the profiteroles.
  15. If you want, you can dip them in chocolate instead. You can then dip them in chia seeds like in the picture below.

Notes

Choux pastry: This pastry looks quite tricky and it is definitely a step up from your average lemon loaf or banana bread. Profiterole are not too hard to make, though. There is not as much that can go wrong. It is actually fun to make.

]]> Crepes ../../../crepes/index.html Sat, 28 Aug 2021 09:50:04 +0000 https://www.leviawegner.com/?p=866 Did you know, Crepes were not originally only a breakfast food in France? In fact, they were used like bread. In french folklore, the origin is set in the 13th century. It is remembered as a happy accident. A housewife spilling porridge onto a cooking stone. Other sources claim that crepes first appeared in the year 472 when they were offered to pilgrims visiting Rome. No matter where they first appeared, one thing is certain, and that is that here they are. And they are probably here to stay. It is a loved breakfast or even dessert and it is quite simple to make.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 125g Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 250ml Milk
  • 50g Butter
  • 5g Sugar
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1Tbsp Butter for the pan

Whipped Cream (alternatively, use store-bought whipped cream)

  • 250g Heavy Cream
  • 20g Powdered Sugar (more or less depending on preference)

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour, sugar and salt together into a small bowl.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat, adding in the milk once the butter is melted.
  3. Crack the eggs into the milk mixture and use an electric mixer to mix the ingredients.
  4. Spoon the flour into the milk bit by bit mixing well to avoid clumps.
  5. Keep mixing until the batter is smooth.
  6. Melt the tablespoon of butter in a large pan.
  7. Pour two solid spoons full or one deep soup ladle full of batter onto the pan.
  8. Leave to cook through until the upper side is solid, before flipping the crepe.
  9. Put the crepe onto a plate while preparing the whipped cream.
  10. Beat the heavy cream on low speed until it is thick before adding in the powdered sugar gradually.
  11. The whipped cream should form stiff peaks when you take out the mixer.
  12. Fill the cream into a piping bag. You can use a star attachment to give the cream form.
  13. Fill the crepes with cream and sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar.
  14. Et voilà!

Variations

Filling: Crepes, like other pancakes, can be enjoyed with an assortment of fillings and toppings. Some more usual than other. Common crepe topping are:

  • Lemon and sugar
  • Jam
  • Nutella
  • Fruit
  • Whipped cream

And, my personal favorite:

  • Dulce de Leche (Caramel sauce) and Cheese

Whatever you choose to put on them, crepes are delicious idea for every breakfast or brunch.

 

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