Sweet Treats from Spain and France

In this issue, Jenn Davis presents a very delicious food feature: sweet treats that are widely popular in Spanish and French culture. Should it be a coffee caramel flan for dessert, the typical turrone nougat for Spain or rather tender Mille Feuille filled with a tasty cream of orange and raspberry? We honestly have to admit that this is a really hard decision…

Photos & Recipes: Jenn Davis twocupsflour.com

Soft Turrone Nougat

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Egg Whites

• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

• 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar

• 3 Cups White granulated Sugar or Castor Sugar

• 1 Cup Honey

• 1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup

• 2 Cups Roasted Almonds

• 1 1/2 Cups Dried Apricot, chunks

*confectionary rice paper (optional)

PREPARE ROASTED ALMONDS

Step 1: Blanch whole almonds by boiling in water for 60 seconds, then transfer immediately to a bowl of cold water. Gently squeeze ends of almonds to pop off skin. Place almonds now without skin on a parchment paper lined tray and roast at 350 F (176 C) for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Prepare a 11 x 7 inch baking pan (or 9 x 13 inch for thinner ) by spraying a thin coat of nonstick cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. (You can also use confectionary rice paper in place of the parchment paper.)

PREPARE NOUGAT

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar. (don’t whip until hot sugar is ready)

Step 2: In a deep sauce pan combine honey, sugar and corn syrup. (Use a saucepan twice as deep as the liquid, as it will bubble and double in size while cooking.)

Step 3: Stir honey mixture over medium high heat until the sugar has dissolved. (Use a pastry brush dipped in water to press sugar down from sides of pan, to prevent crystallization). A candy thermometer inserted into hot mixture should read 290 F (143 C) when sugar is ready.

Step 4: Once honey mixture has reached 270 F turn on stand mixer and whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form (4-5 minutes.)

Step 5: Remove honey mixture from heat once it has reached 290 F (132 C) and slowly drizzle into egg whites while continued to whisk on medium high speed. (Be careful to pour slowly and use gloves.)

Step 6: Whisk egg whites and honey together until begins to firm. Switch to paddle attachment and beat until cool. (mixture should be firm and glossy.)

Step 7: Take bowl of mixture from stand, pour in almonds and apricots. Stir with large spoon.

Step 8: Scoop mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer.

Step 9: Cover nougat with another sheet of parchment paper. Take your hands and using a little pressure to even out the top by pushing it level. Set a book on top of the parchment paper for weight.

Step 10: Place pan in a cool location to set for several hours or overnight until firm. ( do not put in the fridge or it will become wet and sticky.)

Step 11: Once Turrone is firm, peel away top layer of parchment paper. Run a knife along the edges of the pan. Flip pan upside down and allow nougat to drop onto parchment paper lined cutting board.

Step 12: Slice nougat with a thin serrated knife. Cut into long slivers and then into pieces. Peel away parchment paper after slicing. (leaving parchment paper attached while slicing makes it much easier to use your hand to hold Turrone for cutting stability without changing shape or melting nougat with hand.)

Stire Turrone in an air tight container wrapped in wax paper.

Orange & Raspberry Mille Feuille

PUFF PASTRY

One batch of homemade or store bought puff pastry.

ORANGE CREME PATISSERIE

• 1 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 cup Whole Milk

• 1 Egg

• 2 Egg Yolks

• 1 cup Sugar

• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

• 1/4 cup Cornstarch

• 1 tsp Vanilla

• 1 Tbsp Orange Juice

• 1 Tbsp Orange Zest

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

• 1 Navel Orange Peeling

• 1 cup Sugar

• 1/2 cup Water

RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM

• 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened

• 1/3 cup Raspberry Jam

• 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar

ORANGE CREME PATISSERIE

Step 1: Bring milk and whipping cream to just about a boil in a medium pan on medium heat.

Step 2: Meanwhile in a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, flour, cornstarch, and salt to form a paste.

Step 3: Slowly pour warm milk mixture into egg paste while vigorously whisking to prevent eggs from cooking.

Step 4: Once incorporated, pour new mixture back into sauce pan and cook on medium low. Continue to slowly whisk as it begins to thicken. (3-4 minutes).

Step 5: Once thick, pour in the orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Remove from heat and stir until butter has melted.

Step 6: Push cream through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the cream to prevent a skin forming. Place in fridge to chill and set for two hours.

PASTRY LAYERS

Step 1: Heat oven to 350 F (176 C). Roll out the pastry onto a sheet of parchment paper to about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Place onto a flat baking sheet and cover with another layer of parchment paper. Take two more baking sheets and set on top of parchment paper to weigh down pastry. This keeps it from over puffing. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

* You can create one large Mille Feuille and then once assembled, slice to into smaller pieces. Or Divide each third into another three equal pieces for a total of 9 layers of pastry. Take a set of three to create smaller Mille Feuilles.

Step 2: Take a non-serrated sharp knife and slice uneven edges from pastry sheet using a ruler to guide. This gives perfect edges to the pastry and showcases the layers. Measure and slice the pastry into a division of three equal pieces. Each piece will be used as a layer for the final pastry. Set aside until ready to assemble.

RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM

Place butter in bowl of stand mixer and beat with paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy. Add raspberry jam and powdered sugar.

Beat until fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to thicken and a tbsp at a time of milk to thin as needed.

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Step 1: Remove peel from orange and slice into strips. Take off as much of the white flesh as possible.

Step 2: Place 1 cup of water in a medium sauce pan with peel and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and discard liquid.

Step 3: In a medium sauce pan, bring water and sugar to a boil on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn down to a simmer and add orange peels. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Step 4: Gently move peels with a wooden spoon to keep coated.

Step 5: Remove peel from syrup and place on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath to catch sugar drippings. Let cool and then toss in sugar to coat.

ASSEMBLE MILLE FEUILLE

Step 1: Place one layer of pastry onto dish. Pipe rows of Orange Creme Patisserie across top of pastry with desired piping tip.

Step 2: Set second layer of party onto cream. Pipe circles of Raspberry Buttercream across top of pastry with desired piping tip.

Step 3: Dust lines of powdered sugar onto top layer of pastry. Decorate with cream, sliced, almonds, and candied orange peel.

Best eaten after assembly.

Coffee Caramel Flan

CREAM LAYER

• 5 Eggs

• 6 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

• 1 3/4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

• 1 cup Whole Milk

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 3 Tbsp Brewed and Cooled Coffee of choice

CARAMEL LAYER

• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar

• 1/3 Cup Water

Step 1: Prepare two 6 inch round cake pans with a light spray non-stick cooking spray only on the bottom. ( You can also use six small ¾ cup ramekins.)

Step 2: Set aside one or two large deep baking pans to place the round cake pans in. Square pan must be deep enough for the round pans to sit in and then pour water halfway around the flan pans.

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together eggs and sugar until blended. (Whisk attachment will add too much air to the cream.)

Step 4: Add cream, milk, salt, vanilla, and coffee. Mix again until smooth. Set aside.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C). In medium saucepan make caramel layer by combining sugar and water. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Then turn to a simmer and heat until sugar mixture turns amber in color.

Step 6: Carefully pour hot caramel into cake pans. Separate evenly amongst the two pans. You can either gently swirl the pan or use a wooden spoon to push the hot caramel across the bottom of pan. Create an even coating across the entire bottom surface.

Step 7: Take cream mixture, pour through a sieve into another bowl or pitcher. Pour cream into each cake pan on top of caramel layer. Dividing cream evenly amongst the two pans.

Step 8: Set flan pans into rectangular baking trays. Poor hot water around the flan plans, enough to submerge the pans halfway. The water surrounding the flan helps to create an even bake without burning the custard.

Step 9: Gently cover the flan pans with a layer of aluminum foil to prevent burning the bottom of the custard.

Step 10: Place trays with water and flans into the oven.

Step 11: Bake for 40-50 minutes until flan is mostly set. You can tap on the pan and if there is a just a slight wobble in the center they are ready. Too much movement and they need a bit more time.

Remove flan pans from water trays and let cool on a rack. Transfer pans to refrigerator to set for 3-4 hrs or overnight.

Step 12: To serve flan, gently run a knife around the edges of the flan in the pan.

Step 13: Place a plate on top of the pan and invert. Lift the flan pan from the flan and it should remain on the plate. Caramel syrup will run over top and side of flan.

Serve immediately or place in the fridge in an air tight container until ready. Best eaten within 1-2 days.