0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #224

This week, Samantha Black & Mr Tigger at "Life From a Cat’s Perspective" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #224...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

Cuddles, cuddles and only cuddles.
That's Maruschka's motto!

0 EVENING BIKE RIDE

0 TEXAS SHEET CAKE - CAKE TEXAN

Lately, I have noticed that sheet cakes have made a kind trendy comeback in America. Not one magazine I've opened lately didn't have a recipe for this old-fashioned bakery item...

This easy to make, classic, humble and single-layer frosted cake baked in a sheet pan or jelly roll pan seems to trigger people's interest again. It provides an ideal solution for a sweet treat at a larger gathering and can be customized as wished, so this is what makes this cake very appealing. It is no wonder it's popularity never seems to decrease.

I've always appreciated the unpretentiousness of sheet cakes and always liked their advantageous shape. And being the big bar addict that I am, sheet cakes somehow remind me of them and feels quite familiar!

As I've been quite busy lately and haven't had much time to bake anything fancy, I thought that I'd go for that variety of cake and prepare something that would look modest, but would be a total knock over.

I have thought a lot about Texas lately. Since my good friends and ex-neighbors Jessica & Jonathan (Jessica has two great blogs named "In Search Of Dessert" and "Jessica Maier Photography") moved to Austin at the beginning of the year, I have wanted to learn more about this southern USA state and it's culinary traditions.

So, in order to expand my food knowledge I decided that, this time around, I was going to bake something from Texas. My choice naturally went to Lisa's ( "Homesick Texan", USA) "Texas Sheet Cake" recipe which I had been eying my for quite a time now.

Whether this famous cake really originates or not from Texas is difficult to say, but there is no doubt that it is very popular in this part of America as you'll have difficulties finding someone who doesn't serve this rectangular chocolatty treat at BBQs, pot-lucks, birthday parties, picnics, bake sales or any other event that'll require portable food.

For me, this "Texas Sheet Cake" is really a revelation as it is super moist, wonderfully chocolaty and droolworthingly rich, yet quite fluffy/soft in texture (it stands somewhere between cake and Brownies). And with it's contrasting crunchy pecan bits, the shiny icing makes this cake even the more irresistible.

This old favorite will fill your chocolate cravings and will soon become your personal favorite after only your first bite!

~ Texas Sheet Cake ~
Recipe by Lisa at "Homesick Texan".

Ingredients for the "Cake":
2 Cups (420g) Castor sugar
2 Cups (255g) Flour
1 Pinch Salt
2 Sticks (1 cup/240g) Unsalted butter
4 Tbs (22.5g) Unsweetened cocoa
1 Cup (240ml) Water
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup (120g) Buttermilk
1 Tsp (5g) Baking soda
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ancho chile powder (optional)
Ingredients for the "Icing":
1 Stick (120g) Butter
4 Tbs (22.5g) Unsweetened cocoa
6 Tbs Milk
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup (120g) Pecans, roasted and chopped
1 Pound (450g) Powder sugar

Method for the "Cake":
1. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F).
2. Sift the sugar and flour together in a bowl.
3. Melt the butter on low in a saucepan, and when melted add cocoa and water and heat until boiling.
4. Pour cocoa mix over sugar and flour and mix well with a spoon.
5. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and chile powder, and mix well with a spoon.
6. Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan, and bake for about 30 minutes, checking it at 20 minutes.
Method for the "Icing":
7. Five minutes before cake is done, bring to a boil the butter, cocoa and milk.
8. Remove from heat, and mix in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nuts.
9. Beat well, and then spread over cake while both are still warm.
10. Let cool on a rack.

Remarks:
If you want a more chocolaty tasting, you can always add 1 tablespoon more cocoa to the cake batter and the frosting.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

***************

~ Cake Texan ~
Recette par Lisa de "Homesick Texan".

Ingrédients pour le "Cake":
420g de Sucre cristallisé
255g de Farine blanche
1 Pincée de Sel
240g de Beurre, non-salé
4 CS (22.5g) de Cacao, non-sucré
240ml d'Eau
2 Oeufs, légèrement battus
120g de Babeurre
1 CC (5g) de Bicarbonate de soude
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1 CC de Poudre de piment ancho (en option)
Ingrédients pour le "Glaçage":
120g de Beurre, non-salé
4 CS (22.5g) de Cacao, non-sucré
6 CS de Lait
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
120g de Noix de pécan, torréfiées et hachées grossièrement
450g de Sucre en poudre

Méthode pour le "Cake":
1. Préchauffer le four à 200° C.
2. Tamiser (dans un grand bol) le sucre, la farine et le sel ensemble.
3. Faire fondre le beurre, à feu doux, dans une casserole moyenne et ajouter l'eau ainsi que le cacao une fois que le beurre aura fondu. Porter à ébullition.
4. Verser ce mélange sur la farine et le sucre dans le bol. Bien mélanger à l'aide d'une spatule.
5. Ajouter les oeufs, le babeurre, la vanille, la cannelle, la bicarbonate de soude et la poudre de piment puis bien mélanger.
6. Verser la pâte dans un moule beurré de 23x28cm et cuire pendant 30 minutes.

Méthode pour le "Glaçage":
7. Cinq minutes avant la fin de la cuisson, porter à ébullition le beurre, le cacao et le lait.
8. Retirer du feu, ajouter le sucre en poudre, la vanille, la cannelle et les noix.
9. Bien mélanger et immédiatement verser sur le cake encore chaud.
10. Laisser refroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Si vous voulez un goût plus prononcé de chocolat, vous pouvez ajouter 1 CS de cacao à la pâte et au glaçage.

Idées de présentation:
Servez ce cake avec de la crème chantilly ou avec de la glace.

0 BLACKBERRY LOVE

Blackberry Pie Bars
Blackberry Tart

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #223

This week, Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #223...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

You can't look at a sleeping cat and be tense.
~ Jane Pauley ~

0 ANNECY, FRANCE - PART III

0 CHESTNUT & CINNAMON PRUNE TART

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, one of my favorite harvest time fruits has to be "Italian Plums" (or as we call it here "Zwetschge", "Quetsche" or "Prune"). I can never get enough of this wonderfully fragrant stonefruit...

Every week, since the day that this Swiss fruit was made available on market stalls, I buy kilos of prunes and eat them in all the possible ways. I've baked tarts, crumbles, cobblers, clafoutis, bars, cakes and made compotes as well as jams, you name it!

This marvelous fruits has such a pretty color as well as delicate aromas and is so delightful for the palate that it is impossible not to fall in love with it at first sight and taste!

So, the other day when I was contemplating baking something autumn-like with my fresh little violet gems, I came up with a great idea. I thought it would be great to pair those fruits with chestnut spread from Ardèche and cinnamon. I was sure that combo would be quite original and totally divine. I wasn't wrong.

My creation proved to be totally blissful, ambrosial and terribly enjoyable. The tart disappeared very fast and each forkful was followed by "mmmmhhhs" and "aaahhhs" of pleasure!

Try it, you'll adopt it!

~ Chestnut & Cinnamon Prune Tart ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Makes one 22cm tart.

Ingredients for the "Shortcrust Pastry":
250g Plain white flour
110g Unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
15g Lard (see remarks), cut into small cubes
1 1/3 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Sugar
About 60-100ml icy water or enough to bind the mixture
Ingredients for the "Chestnut Filling":
250g Chestnut spread (Crème de marrons de l'Ardèche)
2 Tsps Cornstarch
2 Tsps Kirsch or Prune brandy
Ingredients for the "Prune Filling":
15 Fresh prunes, pitted, halved and slit halfway through the middle
3-4 Tbs Light brown sugar
3/4 Tsp Ground cinnamon

Method for the "Shortcrust Pastry":
1. Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a medium-sized bowl/bassin.
2. Add butter and the lard. Rub between the fingers until the mixture is flaky.
3. Pour in water, gradually, while continuously cutting and stirring with a knife (stop adding water when the dough is stiff/it should not be sticky or wet). Gather up into a soft ball.
4. Dust your working area and rolling pin with flour and shape the pastry by rolling away from you and always turning the pastry around in order to achieve a round shape.
5. Place it in the tart pan and trim the edges.
6. Prick the bottom with a fork.
Method for the "Chestnut Filling":
7. Preheat the oven to 210° C (410° F).
8. Mix together the chestnut spread, cornstarch and alcohol.
9. Spread evenly the pastry bottom.
10. Place the prunes in a neat way.
11. Sprinkle with the light brown sugar and cinnamon.
12. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the sides of the pastry are pale golden and the fruits are cooked through.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Remarks:
Lard is solid pork fat. You can replace it by the oil of your choice or margarine which also make the crust nice and crispy/flaky.
Always lift the flour out of the bowl while rubbing; it makes the butter/flour mixture airy.
Be careful not to add too much water as the pastry should not be stick to the touch.
While mixing the water to the flour/butter mixture never work the pastry like a bread dough, otherwise you would end up with a stiff, hard and elastic pastry, because you would have liberated the gluten in the flour.
You will have a little bit of pastry leftover. Use it as you wish.

Serving suggestions:
This tart is delicious when eaten with either a scoop of homemade ice cream (vanilla, pistachio, caramel, walnut, etc..) or a dollop whipped cream.
You can also sprinkle some almond praline over it.

***************

~ Tarte A La Crème De Marron, Cannelle Et Prunes ~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Pour une tarte de 22 cm.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte Brisée":
250g de Farine blanche/fleur
110g de Beurre non-salé, coupé en petit dés
15g de Saindoux (voir remarques), coupé en petits dés
1 1/3 CC de Sel
1 CC de Sucre cristallisé
Environ 60-100ml d'eau très froide ou assez afin que la pâte forme une boule
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture A La Crème De Marron":
250g de Crème de marron d'Ardèche
2 CC de Maizena
2 CC de Kirsch ou eau de vie de prunes
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture Aux Prunes":
15 Prunes, coupées en deux, puis fondues par le milieu
3-4 CS de Sucre brun clair
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre

Méthode pour la "Pâte Brisée":
1. Tamiser la farine, le sucre et le sel dans un bol moyen.
2. Ajouter le beurre et le saindoux. Frotter la farine et le beurre/saindoux entre les doigts afin d'obtenir un mélange qui ait la texture sabloneuse.
3. Verser l'eau, graduellement, tout en mélangeant bien (n'ajoutez plus d'eau quand la pâte aura atteint la bonne consistance/ni trop mouillée, ni trop collante). Former une boule.
4. Fariner votre rouleau à pâtisserie et votre plan de travail. Etalez la pâte avec un rouleau à pâtisserie (du milieu jusqu'à l'extérieur) afin d'obtenir une forme ronde.
5. Posez la pâte sur votre moule et découpez l'excédent de pâte.
6. Piquez la pâte avec une fourchette.
Méthode pour la "Garniture A La Crème De Marron":
7. Préchauffer le four à 210° C (410° F).
8. Mélanger ensemble la crème de marron, la maïzena et l'eau de vie.
9. Etaler ce mélange sur le fond.
10. Placer les prunes sur la garniture à la crème de marron.
11. Saupoudrer avec le sucre brun clair et la cannelle.
12. Cuire dans le four préchauffé pendant environ 50-60 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que les rebords de la pâte soient légèrement dorés et que les prunes soient cuites à point.
13. Laisser reffroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Le saindoux est de la graisse de porc (solidifiée). Vous pouvez le remplacer par de l'huile ou de la margarine qui rendent aussi la pâte croustillante.
Soulevez toujours la farine lorsque vous la frottez avec le beurre/saindoux: ça apporte de l'air au mélange.
Faites bien attention de ne pas ajouter trop d'eau à votre pâte. Elle ne doit pas être collante.
Pendant que vous mélangez l'eau au mélange farine/beurre/saindoux, ne la travaillez pas telle une pâte à pain, autrement votre pâte sera dure, élastique et pas manipulable du tout car vous aurez libéré le gluten contenu dans la farine.
Vous obtiendrez un reste/surplus de pâte. A vous de l'utiliser à votre guise.

Idées de présentation:
Cette tarte est délicieuse lorsque qu'elle est accompagnée d'une boule de glace maison (vanille, pistache, caramel, noix de Grenoble, etc..) ou de crème chantilly.
Vous pouvez aussi la saupoudrer de pralin aux amandes.