I get asked quite often why I like to cook. The first reason I give is normally because I like to eat. I am Thai and food is a big factor in our culture. We greet each other with hello followed by 'have you eaten? When guests turn up at your house it's safe to assume that they will expect to be fed.

The second reason is that as I grew up in the Northeastern part of Thailand, the poorest region, food was always hard to come by. We weren't hungry as there was always rice, but it was difficult finding something to go with rice. Now I do have ingredients to go with rice, I want to cook!

Monday, 21 March 2016

Princess and the Pea.


The Princess and the Pea.

One of my daughters asked 'how can you feel one tiny pea through all those mattresses?' I said even if you did would you tell your kind hostess that you tossed and turned all night? I think the question was lost on her 😄.


      For the cream slice.

Cut 2x250g puff pastry in 1/2 lengthways.
Put on a 2 baking trays lined with baking paper.
Cover each baking tray with another piece of baking paper.
Place a baking tray over the baking paper (this is to stop the puff pastry puffing up)
Bake in 210c oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
Leave to cool completely.

     For the cream filling.
Use an electric mixer, beat
-250g mascarpone cheese with 
-600ml double cream,
-3tbsp icing sugar.
Beat together until the cream just holds its shape. 
Stir through 5tbsp pineapple curd.
Refrigerate until needed.
(Pineapple curd recipe can be found in another CCC recipe titled 'the magic porridge pot).

        Macarons.

Equipment:
4 oven trays lined with baking paper.
A piping bag fitted with 1.5cm round piping tip.

Preparation.
Sift,
-ground almonds. You need to end up with 160g. Macarons are exceptionally unforgiving so you have to be very precise.
Sift
-icing sugar. You need to end up with 160g.
Put the 2 ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to combine. Leave aside.

Use an electric mixer, beat
-4 egg whites, they need to be at room temperature.
Beat until soft peaks form, gradually add
-170g caster sugar.
Continue to beat until the egg white is at stiff peaks. 

Add
-green food colouring 
Add icing sugar mixture.
Stir to combine.
This is where I normally go wrong. Don't over mix. It's done when you lift up your spatula and the mixture falls easily and is the shape of the letter V.

Pipe 46 Macarons, 3-4cm apart.
Bang the trays on the work surface a few times to get rid of peaks.
Leave to sit in a cool room for 30 minutes before baking.

Bake in 150c fan forced oven 15 minutes.
Leave to cool completely on the baking trays.

To Assemble.
Sandwich the Macarons with the pineapple cream.
Place the first layer of puff pastry on a serving platter.
Spoon on pineapple cream.
Spoon on some pineapple curd.
Top with the second layer of puff pastry.
Repeat until all the layers are used.


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