Gesine Bullock-Prado's Blog, page 16

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Tart with Whipped Mascarpone Quenelle

Rhubarb.  It's growing like a weed right now.  And if it's edible and ready for harvest on my property, it's going to get eaten.



It just so happens that my Ray is rhubarb's #1 fan, especially when combined with strawberries.  Add a dusting of sweet crumble on top and a buttery pate brisee crust that's holding it all together on the bottom, he's even happier.

Add a tart nubbin' of whipped mascarpone, I'm guaranteed that Ray will make me one of my favorite treats in return, a Rayppuccino.

Ray's famous cappuccino skills on display.  Goes perfectly with slice of Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Tart
(makes one 9" tart)

INGREDIENTS

for the crust

Pate brisee is a buttery, tender crust that holds its shape beautifully when baked.  It works equally well with sweet and savory tarts and it whips together in seconds.  Unlike a quick puff, it's not outrageously flaky but it does have a glorious texture that's perfect for using in tart molds.  My brisee is a bit different than most in that I use sweetened condensed milk.  This helps hold the dough together and gives the whole affair a lovely caramel flavor without adding undue sweetness.

2 cups all purpose flour (I only use King Arthur)
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the filling

6-8 stalks rhubarb, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 pound strawberries, cleaned and hulled (I feed the strawberry tops to my chickens and water fowl.  If you don't have those critters, of course you can compost.  Another clever option is from my friend, Brooke.  She freezes the tops and then puts them in her smoothies).
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons ClearJel (this is a thickener that doesn't leave filling cloudy.  You can substitute cornstarch)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
zest and juice of 1 lemon
scant pinch of sea salt

Harvest rhubarb.

for the crumble

I make large batches of crumble from this recipe and then bag the crumble in individual portions and freeze for later use.  Each individual portion is about 2 cups.  Perfect for dessert on the fly as you can use the crumble straight from the freezer.


for the quenelles

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


PROCEDURE

for the crust

•In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dry ingredients and pulse a few times.  Add the chunks of butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal.

Dry ingredients combined with the butter, pulsed until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.•In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture, pulsing while you add.  Continue pulsing until the mixture is almost together but not smooth (you'll still see chunks of flour, etc.).

•Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough over a few times to create a smooth dough.  Don't over work the dough, only enough that all the flour is combined.


•Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

•Line the tart tin with the dough by breaking pieces of the dough into the mold and gently pressing it into shape.  Thickness of the dough should be approximately 1/8 of an inch thick.  (I usually have a little bit of dough left.  Resist the urge to add all the dough just because you have it.  If you have an even thickness all around of about 1/8, stop. Save the dough for a fun small project I'll post her soon).

•Freeze the dough lined tart pan for 20 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350º and make the filling.

for the filling

•In a large saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the rhubarb, vanilla, lemon zest juice and salt.

•In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and the ClearJel until well combined.  Add the sugar mixture to the rhubarb and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens.  Take from the heat and stir in the strawberries.  Set aside until the crust is ready.  (If you use cornstarch, add the sugar along with the vanilla and lemon zest and juice.  Stir until juices start to flow.  Take about 1/4 cup of the juice and stir into the cornstarch to create a slurry.  Add to the rhubarb on the stove and heat until the mixture just starts to bubble and thicken.  Remember that you're adding strawberries in both cases, with the ClearJel and the cornstarch, so you want the initial mixture with just rhubarb to be thicker than you'd usually like, almost gummy.  When you add the strawberries and start baking everything together, that extra juice from the strawberries will be thankful for the extra thicken power you've added in the beginning and it all evens out once everything's baked).  

***At this point, test your filling for sweetness.  If your strawberries aren't ripe enough, you may want to add a few tablespoons of table sugar to make up for the lost sweetness.***

to assemble

•Blind bake the tart dough for 20 minutes or just until the bottom of the dough has lost its raw dough sheen.

•Remove the tart dough from the oven and spoon the filling in an even layer over the crust.  Spread an even layer of crumble over the filling.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crumble just starts to brown and the filling starts to bubble over.


to finish

•In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, confectioner's sugar and vanilla.  Whisk on high until stiff peaks form.

•Using two spoons, scrape the whipped cream from one spoon to the other to form an egg shaped quenelle.  Place a single quenelle on each slice.

Ruthie: Baguette Thief

Photo by Raymond Prado

There are days when Ruthie gets away with baguette theft without repercussion.  

Photo by Raymond Prado
I think the photo op outweighs the work that went into making it.
Photo by Raymond Prado
And it's not often that my work as a baker results in such unabashed and bouncy joy.
Photo by Raymond Prado

Strawberry Shortcake, Cream in the Middle.

With spring in full swing and summer hot on her tail, we've been watching our little farm exploding with life.  The hops vines are crawling up the side of the corn crib,

Hops!  We'll harvest at the end of the summer and dry the "flowers" in the barn loft.  Once they've been dried, we'll start brewing.
the broccoli is baring its cruciferous head,

Interesting that my broccoli is left untouched but the critters are all over the green strawberries.

the asparagus patch has peaked,

This is the asparagus patches' 2nd year.  Which means you have to be a good and patient farmer and not cut any for eating to allow the nutrients to go to root structure.  We'll be able to harvest in earnest next year.
This is how high they grow when unharvested!

the strawberries are just starting to show themselves,


and the ducklings are growing everyday.

Mama goose keeps a watchful eye on the babies.What a joy to see all these things growing, flowering and fruiting in concert.  Some arrive early to gently usher us into the season and others hold back their gifts until the summer ebbs and we look towards autumn.

But for all of mother nature's thoughtful scheduling on our little farm, I had to break ranks and run to the farmer's market to get hot house strawberries to quench my thirst for summer's berry just a little ahead of nature's well intentioned plan.

I'm making strawberry shortcake!



STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

INGREDIENTS

for the shortcake

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour (I use King Arthur Flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces (1 1/2 sticks butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 scant tablespoon baking powder
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
(to finish the "cake" 1 egg and 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw or sanding sugar)

for the filling

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped


PROCEDURE

for the shortcake

•Preheat oven to 350º.

•In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and stir with your hands to distribute the ingredients.

•Add the butter and whirl around with your hands to coat the butter with flour.  Gently "pinch" the butter with your fingertips to massage the butter into the flour.  Continue "massaging" until the mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal.

•Whisk together the buttermilk, yolk and zest.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently stir the two together with your hands to coat the dry ingredients.  Continue working the mixture gently with your hands until the dough is uniformly wet and no dry clumps of flour remain.

Dough.  It looks messy but it's just right.
•Flour your work surface.  Gently pat the dough into a rough 12" x 5" rectangle.  Trim the edges of the rectangle and then cut the dough into 5" x 2" strips.


•Place the strips onto a parchment lined sheet pan, a few inches apart.  Whisk together the egg with 2 tablespoons water to create an egg wash.  Brush the tops of the "cakes with the egg wash and sprinkle with the Sugar in the Raw or sanding sugar.

•Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the "cakes" are deeply golden brown.  Allow to cool completely.

For the filling

•Combine the strawberries, the 1/2 cup sugar, the lemon juice and thyme.  Stir together.  Allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour, until the sugar has melted and the strawberry juices start to run.

•Combine the heavy cream and confectioner's sugar and whisk on high until the whipped cream reaches stiff peaks.

To finish

•Slice the cooled cakes in half.  Spoon a few tablespoons of strawberry juice over the bottom half of each cake.  Line with a few halves of strawberry and then pipe the whipped cream along the middle of the cake.  Place halves of strawberry along the perimeter of the whipped cream.  Place the top half of the "cake" on top of the cream and strawberries.

My Feathered Fowl

The new babies.  Just arrived today.
If you keep up with my forays into gentlewoman farming, you're well acquainted with my adventures with water fowl.

I first became conversant in duck and goose after Super Storm Irene devastated our nook of Vermont.  A local farm was all but wiped out and I volunteered to foster their flock of geese and ducks until they could make the necessary repairs to take them back.  I had them for a year.

A few of my original Indian Runner hatchlings, just as all hell broke loose.
Despite the fact that my feathered foster children became hormonal hellions once spring came around, I stockpiled some of their eggs in anticipation of their leaving me.  I liked the little stinkers.  I wanted some of my very own.  At least the ducks.

Hatch rates in the incubator are low.  I took the percentages into account and put 20+ duck eggs in the hopper, assuming that approximately half would hatch.  And I put in about 10 goose eggs for a friend who was interested in taking them on.

They all hatched but 4.  And then my friend realized that it was a terrible time to take on the birds, so I kept the geese.  So it came to be that I had more birds than I had ever intended keeping.  All of those newborns on top of our brood of chickens.

Hanging with my original hatchlings just a few weeks along, the goslings nibbling from my hand.
They were lovely creatures in the beginning.  Then spring came.  My husband, Ray, warned me.  Just because I'd pulled them from their shells and raised them by hand didn't mean they wouldn't turn our backyard into Game of Thrones.  And despite my concerted efforts to find new homes for my overabundance of drakes and ganders throughout the winter in anticipation of the havoc spring would bring (optimally, any flock should be comprised primarily of hens and very few boys), we entered into the mating season with too many.  Too many of everything.

They went ape sh*t.

Drakes and ganders dueled for mating rights, gouging at each other until they became bloody.  Hens got abused left and right by overeager men folk.  Yes, I'm speaking in high euphemism right now.  There were fatalities and not a few maimings (Mama, the goose, lost sight in one eye).  I spent my days running round in circles, caging injured males and separating them from the flock in the "infirmary."

A very broody mama, nesting under a heat lamp.

One girl in particular, a white swan variety who had always displayed an uncommonly gentle mien for a goose, became helplessly broody.  In the bird world, that means you become filled with the desire to sit on a pile of eggs until they hatch.  For weeks.  Rarely getting up to eat or drink or bathe.  The state of broodiness is often described as being locked in an extended opium haze.  No matter the chaos, everything is chill to the broody hen.  Even when a gang of ganders "bothers" you until your head is bloody, you won't move from your charge of protecting your potential babies.

My sweet broody girl became injured from all the attention, her eye swollen shut and bloody.  I stopped my campaign to control my birds.  I broke the huge flock into smaller pods and enlisted friends to help me find new forever homes.  Within a few days, every one of my water birds had a new home.  Except for my gentle lady goose.  I kept her with me.

Mama, as I came to call her, stayed broody for months after.  Anything resembling an egg she'd nudge into her nest and she'd sit on it.  Thank goodness, nothing came of it.

Once she broke out of her brood, she got lonely.  She'd sidle up to the foraging chickens, trying to blend in like she was one of the gang.  Mr. Spice, the lone rooster, charged at her, kicking her out of the  hen klatch.

Mr. Spice and Wordsy the hen, curious about the new life in the house.

This led me to do the unthinkable.  I considered getting more water fowl to keep her company.  But instead of hatching out a bevy of available eggs on my own, I turned to the internet.  Instead of getting geese as feathered friends, I looked to smaller and gentler breeds of ducks.  While I loved the Indian Runner ducks I'd been raising for their beauty and comic value (they look like billed bowling pins), they are painfully nervous and skittish.  Exactly what Mama didn't need.  What I really needed was the gentlest of animals.  Dare I say, I wanted the "stoners" of the fowl world; relaxed and friendly critters who would be happy hanging with my high strung Mama Goose.

Marjorie, the smallest of the Welsh Harlequin hens.
I decided upon four Welsh Harlequin hens.  Anyone who's raised them falls in love.  They are friendly and calm.  They are prodigious egg layers.  They are pretty.

We got a call from the post office this morning.  The ducklings have arrived!
They came in the mail today.

We picked them up from the post office.  I released them into their temporary cage inside the house. They ate, drank and peeped with gusto.

Yummy water!
Mama heard them immediately.  She stood at the door and honked relentlessly.  When I opened it, she peaked in.

Mama, just poking her head in...
Mama ever more bold... Here she comes!


 And then, for the first time in her adult life, she bravely walked inside the house and into the brooding room.  She stood at the cage with the ducklings and inspected, all the while leaning against me gently.  We sat like this for a half hour, watching fluffy nubbins doing boring stuff like drinking water and nibbling feed.  But it was anything but boring.  My gentle, broody Mama now had a family.  A flock of little ladies I hope she'll raise as her own.

Mama takes it all in.

Hummingbird Muffins: A HEALTHY Start to Your Day

I know it must seem as if you've just entered an alternate universe, me posting a healthy baking recipe here.  But I've decided to post all my baking ventures on this one site instead of breaking up my life into messy and overflowing compartments.

To kick off this new posting philosophy, I'm sharing the latest recipe I developed for Runner's World as a contributing food editor for the magazine. One thing you can be assured of, it is tasty.  And if you like, you can replace the AP flour with an equal amount of whole wheat pastry flour.



 Hummingbird Muffin Recipe 

Bake these Southern-inspired muffins for an energizing prerun breakfast.

 By Gesine Bullock-Prado; Image byJoyce Lee
Published April 17, 2013

 Hummingbird cake is a Southern classic made with pineapple, pecans, and frosting. Bullock-Prado reinvented the recipe to make these tasty muffins more healthy.

 Ingredients
 FOR THE MUFFINS
1 cup turbinado or white sugar
1/3 cup honey
 2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup crushed, drained pineapple
1 cup very ripe banana (about 2 large), mashed with a fork
1 teaspoon vanilla
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ounces vanilla whey protein powder
 1/2 cup chopped pecans

 FOR THE CRUMBLE
1/2 cup steel-cut oats (not quick-cooking)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

 Instructions

•Preheat oven to 350°F.

•Combine sugar and honey in a large bowl, microwave at 50 percent for 45 seconds, and stir. When cooled, whisk in eggs one at a time until combined. Add oil and applesauce. Whisk. Add fruits and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

•In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, protein powder, and pecans. Add to wet mixture and stir until combined.

•Prep two muffin trays with nonstick spray or liners. Fill each cup 3/4 full.

•Mix crumble ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle on top of each muffin.

•Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 15 to 18 muffins.

 Nutrition Information Calories per serving 275 Carbs 43 G Fiber 2 G Protein 6 G Fat 10 G

Bake It Like You Mean It Hijinks on Chelsea Lately!

A Little Easter Inspiration For You from Access Hollywood Live!

For some Easter Inspiration from Bake It Like You Mean It, watch my appearance on Access Hollywood Live!  Just click HERE!

Pyramid Cake Fun on The Talk: Baking it like we mean it

Hey!  That's the book on the t.v.!  And I made that cake!  To see the clip, click here.  

I had a great time making caking magic on The Talk today.  I wanted to share the clip and the recipe with everyone.  This turns out to be fortuitous because there was a glitch in the printing matrix and a chunk of the recipe procedure was left out of the book.  So now I'm sharing the recipe in it's ENTIRETY here!  For an in depth photo tutorial of how to assemble the cake, you can find it in the pages of Bake It Like You Mean It.


TALK TAKEAWAY: COOKING WITH GESINE BULLOCK-PRADO



POSTED ON MAR 14, 2013 10:45AMPastry chef and author, Gesine Bullock-Prado, visited "The Talk" for a Talk Takeaway: Cooking segment. She showed the ladies how to make delicious, decadent desserts. Here are the recipes!

Recipes adapted from “Bake It Like You Mean It”

Chocolate Pyramid
Makes 8 servings

For the CAKE:
2 egg whites
1 (8-ounce / 225-g) package almond paste
6 eggs, separated
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 scant cup (130 g) cake flour
1 cup (85 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use King Arthur Black Cocoa)

For the BUTTERCREAM:
2⁄3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch salt
1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, at room temperature
8 ounces (225 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, melted, and cooled slightly

For the SIMPLE SYRUP:
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

For the GLAZE:
4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet chocolate
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the ASSEMBLY:
½ cup (40 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder


For the cake:
Preheat oven to 400º. Line a half sheet pan with parchment.  Do not spray with non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor fit with the blade attachment, combine the egg whites and almond paste.  Process until the two are combined and the almond paste is soft.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks and 1/4 of the sugar and beat until the mixture thickens but isn’t stiff.  Switch to the paddle attachment and add the almond paste mixture a small bit at a time to avoid getting lumps. Transfer this mixture to a mixing bowl and clean the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment thoroughly.

In the clean bowl of your stand mixer, combine the egg whites and salt.  Whisk until the egg whites become white and foamy.  Slowly add the remaining sugar and whisk until the egg whites form stiff peaks. (Be careful not to whip to the point that they become chunky and dry.) Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten.  Add the remaining whites and gently fold until the two are incorporated.

Whisk together the flour and cocoa.  Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold together with a large rubber spatula. Spread the batter onto the prepared sheet pan in a very even layer. Bake for 10 minutes or just until it springs back when gently poked.


Make the buttercream:
In a heavy saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) water and stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring.

Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and cook until the sugar syrup reaches 240°F (116°C).

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Whisk until the eggs are broken. When the sugar has reached 240°F (116°C), continue whisking the egg mixture on medium speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup in a slow stream down the side of the mixing bowl. Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to high and whip until the bowl is cool to the touch.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Transfer a large spoonful of this mixture to the melted chocolate and stir vigorously until incorporated. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the chocolate to the remaining buttercream mixture.


Make the simple syrup:
In a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with 1 cup (240 ml) water and stir over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let cool slightly.


Assemble the layers:
Once the cake has cooled, use a pastry brush to gently brush off the top “skin” of the cake. Trim the edges of the cake, then divide the cake into 4 even strips, each approximately (or slightly less than) 4 by 12 inches (10 by 30.5 cm).

Transfer a cake layer to a serving platter. Using a pastry brush, brush a layer of simple syrup over the entire cake surface. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the sponge layer, spreading it as evenly as possible, about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick. Top the buttercream with the second cake layer, pressing gently to adhere. Brush with simple syrup and spread with buttercream. Continue layering with cake, simple syrup, and buttercream until the fourth layer is applied. Cut the cake in half lengthwise. Spread an even layer of buttercream on top of one half and place the second cake half on top so you are left with 8 cake layers. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour.

Trim any uneven sides off the cake: Dip a long, very sharp serrated knife in scalding water and dry it off. Cut the cake in half diagonally, forming two long triangles.

Flip the triangles so that the uncut sides are facing each other.

Spread a thin layer of buttercream along one of the uncut sides, then press the two uncut sides together, with the buttercream acting as glue. You’ve now created a triangle. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.


Make the glaze:
Place the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Bring the cream and butter to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, then pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Allow it to sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
Place the cake on a cooling rack. Spread the glaze over the cake with a small offset spatula. Sift the cocoa powder evenly over the cake to coat the glaze. 

The Big BAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT Winner!!!

The Random Number Generator has chosen a lucky ducky!



The winner of a signed copy of Bake It Like You Mean It and a super cool Shannon Reed apron is....drum roll, please!

LORENE VOSKINARIAN

Lorene, please email me your address and to whom you'd like the book signed at gesineconfectionary@gmail.com.

Congratulations!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered and left such lovely messages!

BAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT IS HERE!

Today is the day that BAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT hits bookstores!  I'm in love with this book.  I wrote it, so duh.  Of course I'm in love with this book. But these are the cakes and pastries that I feel genuinely represent me as a pastry chef and now I get to share my crazy baker's brain with you in all it's permutations, from meringue to sponge cakes to butter cakes to mousses&cheesecakes and yeasted pastries.  It's all there.  I didn't hold back, not a single thing.  I hope you enjoy baking from it.  I have a sneaking suspicion you will.

Check out my BAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT Today Show Appearance 
To see me make Rainbow Cakes on Fox & Friends, click on the link below!
To see me demo some beautiful and super fun cakes from the book, stop by and take a look at my appearances on The Today Show and Fox & Friends.