summer berries custards

i've been hitting the farmer's market lately these past several weeks. during one of the outings i bought some blackberries. typically i'd just eat them all in one go, but i was strong enough to not inhaled the entire basket, but instead make something delicious out of them. and these good tasting, eat them warm right out of the oven summer berries custards was what i made with the blackberries. i actually had some blueberries on hand too so i used both. actually, you can even use raspberries or pitted cherries too.

the end result? i didn't really know what to expect. i thought since it was called a custard, i'd expected to be more custardy. but instead it was more like a pudding cake. it's not super sweet so i think you can even add some powdered sugar on top for a little extra if you like. but overall, a good cake. and of course, pudding cakes are big in my household, so we ate it up like that. actually, i think hogged most of the 6 ramekins that i made. but that was because m said he wasn't taking in any processed or added sugar. he hasn't been eating my baked goods since who knows when. maybe 6 weeks going on more? i can't remember.

ok, if you're interested in this recipe, i say why not make some. go out to your local farmer's market or grocery store and grab some of those summer berries before they're really gone for good. i know fall is here already and all those pumpkin baking recipes are popping up everywhere. so bake these for a last summer hurrah or just because. enjoy! :)


this custard is more like a pudding cake. i love how you get a little bit of the berries in every bite. yum!

summer blackberry custards
recipe from food & wine

ingredients:

• 6 cups blackberries (2 pounds)
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 450°F. spread 1/2 cup of the blackberries in each of twelve 4-ounce gratin dishes. arrange the gratin dishes on 2 baking sheets.
2. in a bowl, whisk the milk with the cream, eggs, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and orange zest until smooth. ladle 1/4 cup of the custard into each dish; bake for about 15 minutes, until the centers are set. transfer the custards to wire racks and let stand for 30 minutes. serve.

makes 12. or you can half the recipe (which is what i did) and make just 6. enjoy! :)

chocolate profiteroles with chocolate passionfruit cream

a few weeks ago one of my coworkers gave me a quart (or carton?!) of passionfruit juice she brought back from berkeley bowl. she remembered me looking for some passionfruit whether it was in the form of the fruit itself or in juices, pulps, anything! anyway, since have this juice i figure i try and make something yummy out of it. and here you have it, these delicious chocolate profiteroles (the french's fancy way of saying cream puffs) with chocolate passionfruit pastry cream. :)

so, how did they turn out? pretty good i say. the passionfruit and chocolate definitely go together. only one unfortunate thing is that the passionfruit juice isn't passionfruity-enough in that it gets a little lost with the chocolate. unfortunately chocolate is one of those very powerful flavors. in this case it overpowered the passionfruit. although, i do feel that had i had actual passionfruit pulp or juices from the fruit itself (100% passionfruit) maybe you'd taste the fruit flavor a little more, even with the chocolate? all in all these cream puffs or profiteroles still turned out fantastic!

below's the recipe for these delicious chocolate profiteroles should you like to try them out yourself. enjoy!


these chocolate cream puffs are so good. usually i prefer my simple vanilla pastry cream or whipped cream filling, but the chocolate in this -- delish!


yup, that's a lot of chocolate profiteroles! :)

chocolate profiteroles with chocolate passionfruit pastry cream

ingredients

for the pastry cream:
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
6 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup passionfruit juice
6 oz dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup cream

for the pâte à choux:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup water
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

for the chocolate ganache glaze:
4 oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream

directions

to make the pastry cream: heat the half-and-half and milk, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

also, while waiting for the milk mixture to simmer, heat the 1/4 cup cream in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until it comes to a boil (really, you want it hot enough to melt the chocolate). then pour it over the chocolate chips in a decent size bowl. mix the chocolate and cream together until the ganache is form. set the chocolate aside.

now, when the half-and-half and milk mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. off the heat, whisk in the melted chocolate and passionfruit juice. mix until everything is incorporated. strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

to make the choux pastry: preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place rack in center of oven. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter or spray the pan with a nonstick vegetable spray.

in a bowl sift or whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.

place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. (make sure that the butter melts before the water boils to reduce the amount of evaporation.) remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or use a hand mixer, and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about a minute) &ndash actually, i just do everything in the saucepan, beat the dough, adding the eggs, etc. once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon). spoon or pipe small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. optional: you can gently brush the tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg if you like. i usually don't.

bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). continue to bake for a further 30 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. turn the oven off, poke a couple of holes in each puff and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells completely cool (and dry out).

to fill the puffs: use the tip of a paring knife to make a small cut perpendicular to the first, creating an X in the side of each puff. fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the pastry cream. pipe some of the pastry cream through the X into the side of each puff until it starts to ooze back out. repeat to fill all the puffs.

to make the chocolate ganache glaze: place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until the mixture just begins to steam. whisk together thoroughly until completely mixed and glossy. allow ganache to cool slightly before dipping the tops of the cream puffs. set the puffs on a rack to let the chocolate glaze set completely. if you don't care for the chocolate ganache glaze, you can sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of the filled cream puffs. i personally prefer dipping them in the ganache because it tastes yummier that way. serve within a few hours.

makes 40 decent size profiteroles. happy eating! :)

mini creme brulee cupcakes

sometime last week i saw a creme brulee cupcake pinned on my pinterest feed. i've never attempted making creme brulee before because i couldn't be bothered to make the custard on the stovetop, then bake it in a hot water bath. but creme brulee as a filling in a cupcake? i thought, sure… why not. that must be a whole lot easier than making actual creme brulee! and i tell you, it was because making the custard is easy peasy. i've done a bunch of pastry cream before, this is just like it, minus an ingredient or two.

i have to say, these mini creme brulee cupcakes turned out fabulous and they taste so good! i didn't have a blow torch so i stuck these babies in the broiler for a minute (although next time i might try less, more like 45 seconds) to brown before serving. so yes, i don't have a blow torch currently, although i have a feeling i may be getting one very soon in the near future as the hubby did ask me if i had one and would i like one – haha! i told him, of course you know i don't have one and sure, i could use one so we can have more of these yummy custard desserts! blow torch or not, you can still make them!

below's the recipe should you want to make them. i modified my eggless vanilla recipe for these cupcakes with a little bit of brown sugar. i say the brown sugar really adds something extra to the cake, because the custard and cake together is just divine! try it, you won't be disappointed. happy baking (and eating)!


yes, that's a lot of mini creme brulee cupcakes! but that's okay, because they are so good. :)


i think this is my new favorite cupcake! a must-try, for sure.

creme brulee mini cupcakes

ingredients:

cupcakes:
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt
1 cup milk (if using buttermilk, skip vinegar)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

creme brulee:
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar

directions:

mini cupcakes:

1. preheat oven to 350°f.
2. combine milk and vinegar and stir to combine. set aside for 5 minutes. mixture will curdle. if using buttermilk, skip this.
3. in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. whisk sugar, oil, vanilla extract into curdled milk mixture (or buttermilk). make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. mix until relatively smooth.
5. fill mini cupcake liners with a scant tablespoon of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full).
6. bake for 14-15 minutes or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. once cooled, core out the middle, enough to fill it with the creme brulee mixture. this step is important to do before moving on to the creme brulee mixture as you'll want to pour the mixture into the cupcakes as soon as it's complete.

creme brulee:

1. beat egg yolks in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed (or you can use a hand mixer if you like, or do it by hand with a whisk or fork), 5 minutes or until thick and light yellow. gradually beat in sugar.
2. heat cream in medium saucepan over medium heat until just hot to the touch. stir in vanilla.
3. a little at a time, so the eggs do not curdle, stir half of the cream into the egg yolk mixture.
4. then stir all the egg yolk and cream mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan. cook, stirring continuously, over low heat, 5 to 8 minutes, until mixture thickens; do not boil.
5. remove from heat and use immediately to fill your cored mini cupcakes.

assembly:

1. using a small spoon, spoon a generous portion of the custard to fill the cupcakes.
2. let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before refrigerating. refrigerate the mini cupcakes at least 2 hours before serving.
3. before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar and place under preheated oven broiler (45-60 seconds, no more than 60 seconds unless you really like burnt sugar). or if you have a blow torch, torch the top of the cupcakes to get it to brown (like shown in the pictures above).
4. serve immediately. enjoy!

makes 36 mini creme brulee-filled cupcakes (or about 16 regular ones). happy baking and eating! :) oh, if you don't want to eat them all right away (although i don't know why you wouldn't because they're so good! hehe), you can keep them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. anything after that, i'm not sure how good the cake or custard will be.